Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

London 2012 Olympic Games - Aussie sailors aim to bash the Poms

by Sail-World.com Team on 20 Jun 2012
Tom Slingsby (AUS 195532) Laser during Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta 2012 - London 2012 Olympic Games onEdition http://www.onEdition.com
The mainstream media down under is getting pretty pumped about Australia's medal chances in Weymouth. Here are extracts from the latest piece from the leading news agency AAP.

London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition is being held on the waters of Weymouth and Portland where Australia's Olympic sailors are expected to win a record medal haul and should confirm themselves as a golden generation of champions.

Key to their chances are three crews who've been virtually unbeatable over the past 12 months, including on the Games course at Weymouth.

Standing in their way are British crews with a deep understanding of local conditions, backed by boisterous home support.

It should be the Ashes with lifejackets and ropes.

Among those aiming to bash the Poms is Tom Slingsby, who won his fifth Laser world title in May and capped an extraordinarily dominant year by winning his fifth regatta at Weymouth.

He had a shock 22nd-placed finish at the 2008 Games but loves the strong winds in southern England.

'In China I just never felt comfortable. On land, I didn't feel comfortable in the surroundings, the culture, the food,' he told AAP.

Slingsby has a fierce rivalry with Team GBR's Paul Goodison and their clashes should be dramatic.


World 49er skiff champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are unbeaten at Weymouth over four regattas.

Outteridge pinpointed Team GBR's Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes as their chief rivals.

'We've always been enemies with the Brits from day one so why stop now?' he said.

The 26-year-old, who broke his back in a 2005 car crash, teamed up with childhood friend Jensen after heartbreak in Beijing.

Outteridge capsized with former crewmate Ben Austin just 100 metres from the finish line and missed out on certain gold.


World champion 470 sailors Malcolm Page and Mathew Belcher are Australia's third red-hot hope.

Page, 40, won gold at his second Olympics in Beijing and is regarded as the best 470 sailor ever.

'The two other nations I really see fighting for the medals is the Poms and the French,' he said.

'And both of them are going to their first Games.'

It's Belcher's Olympic debut, while Page retires after London.

Team coach Victor Kovalenko says only bad luck can prevent Slingsby, Outteridge and Jensen, and Page and Belcher winning.

'Those three teams are ready,' he said.

'We have to protect them from bad luck - but if everything is all right they are there.'

Australia's best Olympic sailing performance was in Sydney, with two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

This year's target of three golds and two other medals looks beatable - with five other talented Australian crews.

Young-gun skipper Olivia Price, 19, underlined her skill by winning the World Cup regatta at Weymouth in June.

She sails with Nina Curtis and Lucinda Whitty in the match racing.

Windsurfer Jessica Crisp competes at her fourth Olympics in London and can medal in the RS:X class.

Olympic Gold medallists Belinda Stowell and Elise Rechichi only teamed up in the women's 470 in September but finished ninth at December's world championships.

Brendan Casey is a long-odds chance in the Finn.

And former world champion Krystal Weir has enjoyed good recent form in the Laser Radial.

X-Yachts X4.0Sea Sure 2025Zhik 2024 December

Related Articles

WASZP Games 2025: Talent & fun descend on Weymouth
Poised to be the largest and most competitive in the class's history The 2025 International WASZP Games, set to take place from July 19–25 at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, are poised to be the largest and most competitive in the class's history.
Posted today at 7:23 am
Queensland Yachting Survey 2025 Feedback
The results are in, gathering valuable insights directly from the sailing community Following this year's Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, a group of passionate and experienced individuals from the sailing community gathered to discuss the current state of yachting in Queensland.
Posted today at 5:18 am
All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around.
Posted on 10 Jul
British Classic Week day 4
It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for the OneSails inshore race It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for day 4 of British Classic Week with hot temperatures, sunshine and no breeze in the morning before the sea breeze kicked in from the west and it was time to go racing.
Posted on 10 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 5
Finalists locked in for new Medal Series format With the sea breeze stubbornly refusing to make an appearance, Day 5 of the iQFOiL World Championship turned into a long waiting game both ashore and on the water.
Posted on 10 Jul
Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects!
Posted on 10 Jul
America's Cup: Luna Rossa to sail for Naples club.
Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest the next America's Cup as the team of a Naples club. Italian Challenger Luna Rossa will contest its seventh America's Cup as the team of the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia of Naples, as club that is new to the America's Cup.
Posted on 10 Jul
International Moth Worlds at Lake Garda Day 3
Big breeze in the morning, calm in the afternoon The third day of racing at the 2025 Moth World Championship kicked off early, with the first warning signal for the Blue fleet scheduled for 8:30 AM. Due to strong northerly winds, however, the fleet's departure was postponed to 9:00.
Posted on 10 Jul
Introducing the Micro Gateway from Cyclops Marine
Live load data, simplified - smaller, smarter, even more connected At Cyclops Marine, we're driven by the pursuit of precision, performance, and progress. As the marine industry continues to embrace digital transformation, our technology is evolving rapidly.
Posted on 10 Jul
Everything to know about The Ocean Race Europe
One month to go to the race start in Kiel One month out from the start of the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe seven mixed-gender crews made up of sailors from across 13 nations are in the throes of their final preparations for the Race start in Kiel, Germany.
Posted on 10 Jul