2010 Australian-AIS Sailing team announced-surprises for 2012 Olympics

by Craig Heydon on 26 Mar 2010 Australia’s top Olympic class sailors continue their campaigns towards Gold medals in 2012 with the announcement of the 2010 Australian/AIS Sailing Team.

The 2010 Australian/AIS Sailing Team includes 11 athletes competing in seven Olympic and Paralympic classes with the group already tasting success this year.

In the first class World Championship for 2010 Australian 49er crew Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen finished second in the Bahamas, following their World Championship win in 2009. Outteridge and Jensen had a remarkable run of six straight regatta victories and will next compete aboard their 49er at round five of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Holland in May.

Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page have entered their second year sailing together and recently finished with the Silver medal at round two of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Miami. The pair currently lead the 470 men’s class and have a hectic year ahead of them, competing in the remaining five round of the ISAF Sailing World Cup along with the 470 World Championship in the Netherlands.

Two-time Laser World Champion Tom Slingsby will be looking to continue his recent good form into 2010, following his victory at the final round of the 2009 ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth and his first placing at the 2010 Australian Laser Championship, where he won 10 out of 11 races.

Jessica Crisp will again represent Australia in the RS:X class and is campaigning towards her fourth straight Olympic Games appearance at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Crisp won the RS:X women’s class at Sail Melbourne in December and was recently crowned Australian RS:X women’s champion.

Krystal Weir has returned to the Australian Sailing Team following a year’s break and will campaign a Laser Radial in 2010. Weir represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in the Yngling class and has made the decision to return to her original class, the Laser Radial.

2008 Beijing Olympic champions Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson have made the decision to take an extended break from their Olympic sailing. At this stage their intention is not to compete in London but to return in 2013 and campaign for a second Gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

In a major development for the Australian/AIS Sailing Team 2010 will see the Olympic and Paralympic programs come together into one squad with Australia’s leading Paralympic sailors becoming AIS scholarship holders.

'The combination of our Olympic and Paralympic programs is the culmination of many years work for a number of people within the Australian Paralympic Committee, Australian Institute of Sport and Yachting Australia,' said Yachting Australia High Performance Director Peter Conde. 'We would not have been able to affect this change without the support of the APC and AIS who both provided additional funding to make this happen.'

'We feel that this change will allows us to provide the best resources and support for all of our leading sailors and create a culture of one team for our Olympic and Paralympic programs,' he said.

Selected in the 2010 team are 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games Silver medalists Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox who will compete in the Skud 18 class and Bronze medalists Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden who will sail in the Sonar class with Australian Sailing Development Squad athlete Rod Angwin.

The two Australian/AIS Sailing Team Paralympic crews will head to Holland in July for the IFDS World Championships, a major qualification event for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

The 2010 Australian Women’s Match Racing Team will be named following round four of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in France at the end of April.

For more information visit www.australiansailingteam.com.au