Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Shirley Robertson delves deep into British Sailing's Olympic Medal Factory

by Shirley Robertson 5 Oct 2021 15:56 PDT 6 October 2021
Tokyo2020 - Day 4 - July, 28, - Enoshima, Japan. Womens 470 © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com / nz

In this month's edition of the podcast, Shirley Robertson talks to a host of Olympic sailing stars as she delves deep into the world of British Sailing, and asks just why the team has become such a dominant force in Olympic Sailing.

Robertson, a former Team GB member herself of course, a four time Olympian and double Olympic gold medallist, talks to three of Team GB's Tokyo 2020 gold medallists, discussing their own personal routes to victory, but also delving into life as a member of the most successful Olympic sailing team of all time. She also talks to the Team's Head of Performance, Mark Robinson, she discusses the rigours of back to back Olympic campaigning with Team GB's Luke Patience, and she gets the outside viewpoint from US Sailing's Paul Cayard.

Kicking off the podcast though, Robertson talks to the woman who's gold medal in the 470 Class in Tokyo makes her the most successful female Olympic sailor of all time - British 470 helm Hannah Mills.

"At the Games there's so much distraction, there's a bit of a circus because it is the Olympic Games... it's like a marathon of horrible stressful days but what I think I'm good at is just accepting that it's fine... the nerves are fine, it means you care, it's a good thing... it's just part of you for that experience, and being able to accept all those things that you can't control... whilst all that's going on the background, that's the difference between success and failure at the Games."

Mills and crew Eilidh Mcintyre were one of three gold medal winning teams for the British Sailing Team in Tokyo. In part two of the podcast Robertson talks to the men's 49er Class crew Stu Bithell and she talks to Finn gold medallist Giles Scott.

Both Bithell and Scott thrilled British sailing fans in the manner of their medal wins, both managing to grasp gold medals that seemed to be slipping away in two of the closest medal races in recent memory. Bithell and helm Dylan Fletcher just squeezed enough speed out of their 49er to put points between themselves and New Zealand gold medal favourites Burling and Tuke, while Giles Scott manoeuvred himself back into gold medal position on the very final leg of his medal race after a nerve wracking twenty minutes of sailing that saw the reigning Finn gold medallist re-start his race...:

"The only way that I could really mess things up and slip off the podium was if I got disqualified and Josh (Junior) won the race. So that is your doomsday scenario that you have to talk about... so the conclusion to that was if there is at all a chance of you being over the line, you're going back and of course in that race there was an individual recall flag... as soon as the flag went up I was going back, there wasn't anything going through my head... and from there it was a full scramble to try and get back into the race."

In addition to the gold medallists Robertson's look at Olympic campaigning with 470 fifth place finisher Luke Patience is a fascinating and moving listen. A three time Olympian, Patience started his career with a silver in London, but after two consecutive fifth place finishes in Rio and Tokyo, is both honest and sincere in his description of the pain that constant Olympic pressure can bring. It's a moving account from one of British Sailing's most eloquent athletes.

This edition of the podcast is in two parts and is available to listen to via the podcast page of Shirley's own website, at www.shirleyrobertson.com/podcast or via most popular podcast outlets, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcast and aCast.

Part 1:

Part 2:

The podcast is produced and written by Tim Butt - for further enquires, please contact

Related Articles

America's Cup: Shirley Robertson visits Swiss team
Shirley Robertson visits Swiss America's Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing at their base in Barcelona This month, Shirley Robertson visits Swiss America's Cup powerhouse Alinghi Red Bull Racing at their base in Barcelona as they prepare to Challenge for the 37th America's Cup. Posted on 10 May
Shirley Robertson talks with Dean Barker
The joy of victory and the pain of defeat with America's Cup helm Dean Barker Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast hosts one of the sport's most recognisable talents as New Zealand's Dean Barker talks to double Olympic gold medallist Robertson about a career spent chasing the illusive America's Cup. Posted on 30 Mar
Shirley Robertson talks with Alex Thomson
Alex Thomson talks Vendee Globes, Ocean Rescues and those Viral Social Media Campaigns Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast continues this month with one of offshore sailing's most active campaigners, a sailor whose career spans two decades at the highest level of the sport and includes a record equaling five Vendee Globe starts. Posted on 9 Mar
Shirley Robertson reports from Alicante
Shirley Robertson talks to key sailors in The Ocean Race ahead of the start in Alicante This month's edition of Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast comes from the Spanish port of Alicante, long time home to the Ocean Race, as the fourteenth edition of this famous round the world adventure gets underway with a dramatic new look. Posted on 19 Jan
Shirley Robertson talks with Tom Slingsby
Tom Slingsby: "I said right then and there that I want to be a part of this arena." Tom Slingsby: "I was getting yelled at by Russell Coutts, and I still remember sitting there thinking 'I can't believe I'm sitting there with these legends, Grant Simmer, Jimmy (Spithill), Ben Ainslie, Russell Coutts', I remember I was really in awe!" Posted on 9 Dec 2022
Shirley Robertson talks with John Bertrand
Shirley Robertson talks with John Bertrand about conquering the Everest of sailing The fourth Series of Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast starts in emphatic fashion as double Olympic gold medallist Robertson sits down with the skipper of the America's Cup's first ever successful Challenger, Australian John Bertrand. Posted on 27 Sep 2022
Shirley Robertson talks with Tom Whidden
Shirley Robertson talks with triple America's Cup winner Tom Whidden on his eight Cup campaigns Tom Whidden's lighthearted and amicable style is wonderful to listen to, as he discusses his long sailing career. There are Dennis Conner stories aplenty, including his much talked about "plastic boat" quote of the 1987 Challenger Series campaign. Posted on 5 Jul 2022
Shirley Robertson quizzes key Cup decision makers
Shirley Robertson's podcast features interviews with several of the Cup's key stakeholders With the announcement that AC37 will be hosted by the Spanish city of Barcelona, Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast this month features interviews with several of the Cup's key stakeholders, as they discuss the thinking behind this landmark decision. Posted on 22 May 2022
Shirley Robertson's Podcast with Jason Carrington
Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast features top UK boatbuilder Jason Carrington Shirley Robertson this month features one of the most respected names in boat building, as Jason Carrington takes to the mic to discuss his phenomenal career in the sport. Posted on 15 Mar 2022
Shirley Robertson talks with Paul Goodison
Shirley Robertson this month talks to a man with one of the most varied careers in the sport Top international sailing commentator, Shirley Robertson this month talks to a man with one of the most varied careers in the sport of professional sailing, as she sits down for an extensive chat with one time Team GB team mate Paul Goodison. Posted on 18 Feb 2022
Visit Pensacola 2023 FOOTERSOUTHERN-SPARS-MISSY-FURLING-BOOMS-728-X-90 BottomRooster 2023 - Aquafleece Robe - FOOTER