Road to Rio - Lisa Darmanin from the very beginning - Nacra 17

by AOC on 12 Aug 2015 Top Nacra 17 sailor Lisa Darmanin (AUS) describes how she got into sailing and then embarked on the Road to Rio in the Mixed Multihull - the Nacra 17

In 2001, I was 9 years old and after a few lessons on Pittwater my parents pushed me out with my older brother Evan on a Manly Junior Sailing Dinghy, straight into the State Titles. I hated it, I cried when it was windy, I was frightened of capsizing. I stuck it out and after a few months a very patient Evan got us around the race course without anymore tears. We had joined Manly Skiff Club, it was very social, we were sailing on beautiful Sydney Harbour and my love of sailing began.

In 2007, I had just turned sixteen, I got a call from my cousin, Jason. Jason and I are the same age and spent a lot of time together at Nanna’ growing up. He could sail almost before he could walk and was always destined to be successful in the sport. For me sailing was fun on the weekend at the club with the family. Jason needed a partner for an ISAF Youth Worlds campaign - that was the right age, did not weigh much, wasn’t going to grow anymore, was reliable, determined - and I fitted the profile.

We started training with Traks Gordon on Pittwater, my whole perspective shifted. I was now an athlete, was in a training program and we had a specific goal – a World Youth Title. After two campaigns in 2009 we brought home the Gold Medal for Australia in Buzios, Brazil. (a good omen perhaps) What next ?

At the time there was no Olympic pathway for us. The multihull had been excluded from the 2012 Olympics and we had to look at other avenues, but there was talk of it being reinstated for 2016. In anticipation we continued to train and compete at international events in different multihull classes whilst I completed my Commerce degree at UNSW. The University was incredibly supportive.

In 2012 it was announced that there would be a Mixed-Multihull category at the 2016 Olympics. This was a new high-performance discipline for sailing. Jason and I knew that this was our destiny- we were meant to do this event together.

So now seven years later, we have one goal in mind and that is to win a Gold medal for Australia at the 2016 Olympics in the Mixed Multihull.

The Nacra 17 is the class of boat with compulsory mixed gender, the male and female can choose which position on the boat they desire. There is the helm, which is Jason in our team, he steers the boat around the course and then there is my role, the crew, who pulls most of the ropes to trim the sails and make the boat go fast. This is a physical job and competing against males means that when I’m not on the water I’m getting super strong at the gym! I’ve always been a driven person but never perceived myself as an athlete -And that’s what I do everyday is strive to be the best athlete I can be, on the water and off the water.

I have just arrived in Rio along with the Australian Sailing Team to compete in the Pre-Olympics, which begins on the 12th of August. Jason and I placed second at the Nacra 17 World Championships last month and are hoping to step up to the top of the podium at this regatta. We still have so much work to do on the Road to Rio but I’m determined and motivated and loving the journey.