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'''Charles Benedict Ainslie''', [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], (born 5 February 1977) is an [[England|English]] [[sailing (sport)|competitive sailor]], who in 2012 became the first person to win medals in sailing at five Olympic Games, and the second (after [[Paul Elvstrøm]]) to win four gold medals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Steven|last=Morris|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/05/ben-ainslie-olympic-gold-great-britain|title=Ben Ainslie wins his fourth Olympic gold medal for Great Britain|date=5 August 2012|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2183974/London-2012-Olympics-Sailing--Ben-Ainslie-wins-gold.html|title=London 2012 Olympics: Sailing - Ben Ainslie wins gold|last=McEvoy|first=Jonathan|date=5 August 2012|work=[[Mail Online]]|accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18907123|title=Ben Ainslie wins fourth Olympics sailing gold medal
'''Charles Benedict Ainslie''', [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], (born 5 February 1977) is an [[England|English]] [[sailing (sport)|competitive sailor]], who in 2012 became the first person to win medals in sailing at five Olympic Games, and the second (after [[Paul Elvstrøm]]) to win four gold medals.<ref>{{cite news|first=Steven|last=Morris|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/05/ben-ainslie-olympic-gold-great-britain|title=Ben Ainslie wins his fourth Olympic gold medal for Great Britain|date=5 August 2012|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2183974/London-2012-Olympics-Sailing--Ben-Ainslie-wins-gold.html|title=London 2012 Olympics: Sailing - Ben Ainslie wins gold|last=McEvoy|first=Jonathan|date=5 August 2012|work=[[Mail Online]]|accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18907123|title=Ben Ainslie wins fourth Olympics sailing gold medal
|accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref>
|accessdate=5 August 2012}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Ainslie was born in [[Macclesfield]], the son of Roderick 'Roddy' Ainslie, who captained a boat that took part in the first [[Whitbread Round The World Race]] in 1973. Ben learned to sail at [[Restronguet Creek]] near [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]] in [[Cornwall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/may/18/ben-ainslie-olympic-torch-london?intcmp=239 |title=Ben Ainslie's Olympic torch run sets course for London Games |date=18 May 2012 |publisher=The Guardian |author=Steven Morris}}</ref> He started sailing at the age of eight and first competed at the age of ten.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benainslie.com/about|title=About Ben|work=www.benainslie.com|accessdate=6 November 2011}}</ref> Ben Ainslie's first international competition was the 1989 [[Optimist (dinghy)|Optimist]] world championships held in Japan where he placed 37th.
Ainslie was born in [[Macclesfield]], the son of Roderick 'Roddy' Ainslie, who captained a boat that took part in the first [[Whitbread Round The World Race]] in 1973, and his wife Sue.<ref name=20Things/> His elder sister, Fleur, is married to Jerome Pels, secretary general of the [[International Sailing Federation|International Sailing Federation (ISAF)]].<ref name=20Things/>


==Education==
Ainslie was educated at Pennington Infant School - a [[Hampshire]] state primary school in the port town of [[Lymington]], and then at the [[independent school|independent]] [[Truro School]]. Ainslie later attended [[Peter Symonds College|Peter Symonds sixth form college]] in the city of [[Winchester]].<ref>{{cite web | title =Ben Ainslie | work =Sailor Biography | publisher =ISAF UK | url =http://www.sailing.org/bio.asp?ID=GBRCA1 | accessdate =17 August 2008 }}</ref>
Ainslie was educated at Pennington Infant School - a [[Hampshire]] state primary school in the port town of [[Lymington]], and then at the [[independent school|independent]] [[Truro School]]. Ainslie later attended [[Peter Symonds College|Peter Symonds sixth form college]] in the city of [[Winchester]].<ref>{{cite web | title =Ben Ainslie | work =Sailor Biography | publisher =ISAF UK | url =http://www.sailing.org/bio.asp?ID=GBRCA1 | accessdate =17 August 2008 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ainslie resides in Lymington, and belongs to the [[Royal Lymington Yacht Club]]. There he is coached by [[David Howlett]], who raced a Finn sailor at [[1976 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=20Things/>

His girlfriend is [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[Laser Radial]] sailor [[Marit Bouwmeester]], who won silver in the class at London 2012. He drives an [[Aston Martin]], plays [[golf]], and supports [[Chelsea F.C.]].<ref name=20Things>{{cite web|url=http://www.yachtingworld.com/olympics-2012/beach/532360/20-things-about-ben-ainslie|title=20 things about Ben Ainslie|author=Elaine Bunting|publisher=yachtingworld.com|date=5 August 2012|accessdate=2012-08-10}}</ref>


==Awards and honours==
==Awards and honours==
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At the [[2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships]] he was in a winning position going into the closing stages of the regatta but was disqualified under rule 69 (gross misconduct) for physically threatening a photographer. Ainslie felt the photographer's boat's wake had prevented him from passing a competitor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/dec/10/ben-ainslie-tv-boat-argue?newsfeed=true|title=Ben Ainslie disqualified from World Championships after TV row|date=10 December 2011|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=10 December 2011}}</ref>
At the [[2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships]] he was in a winning position going into the closing stages of the regatta but was disqualified under rule 69 (gross misconduct) for physically threatening a photographer. Ainslie felt the photographer's boat's wake had prevented him from passing a competitor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/dec/10/ben-ainslie-tv-boat-argue?newsfeed=true|title=Ben Ainslie disqualified from World Championships after TV row|date=10 December 2011|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=10 December 2011}}</ref>


On 19 May 2012 he became the first person to carry the Olympic torch in the UK. Starting the 70-day tour of the United Kingdom at [[Land's End]], he was the first of 8,000 torch carriers, passing the flame to 18-year-old Cornish surfer Tassy Swallow. He stated, "It's something I'll never forget. It was an amazing atmosphere. But it's back to reality tomorrow and training for the Olympics."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18119893|title=Ben Ainslie Starts the Torch Relay|date=19 May 2012|work=[[The BBC]]|accessdate=19 May 2012}}</ref>
On 19 May 2012 he became the first person to carry the Olympic torch in the UK. Starting the 70-day tour of the United Kingdom at [[Land's End]], he was the first of 8,000 torch carriers, passing the flame to 18-year-old Cornish surfer Tassy Swallow.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18119893|title=Ben Ainslie Starts the Torch Relay|date=19 May 2012|work=[[The BBC]]|accessdate=19 May 2012}}</ref> His gold medal at the 2012 Olympics was presented by two Royal former Olympians, [[Princess Anne]] and [[Constantine II of Greece|King Constantine of Greece]]. He was selected on 11 August 2012 to carry the flag for the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19226365|title=Ben Ainslie to carry British flag at Olympics closing ceremony|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|date=2012-08-10|accessdate=2012-08-10}}</ref>

His gold medal at the 2012 Olympics was presented by two Royal former Olympians, [[Princess Anne]] and [[Constantine II of Greece|King Constantine of Greece]].

He was selected on 11 August 2012 to carry the flag for the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.


==Sailing career==
==Sailing career==
Ainslie learned to sail at [[Restronguet Creek]] near [[Falmouth, Cornwall|Falmouth]], [[Cornwall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/may/18/ben-ainslie-olympic-torch-london?intcmp=239 |title=Ben Ainslie's Olympic torch run sets course for London Games |date=18 May 2012 |publisher=The Guardian |author=Steven Morris}}</ref> He started sailing at the age of eight and first competed at the age of ten.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benainslie.com/about|title=About Ben|work=www.benainslie.com|accessdate=6 November 2011}}</ref> Ainslie's first international competition was the 1989 [[Optimist (dinghy)|Optimist]] world championships held in Japan where he placed 37th.
=== Olympics ===
=== Olympics ===
Ainslie won silver at the [[1996 Olympic Games]] and gold in the [[Sailing at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer Olympics]] in the [[Laser (dinghy)|Laser]] class. He gained some {{convert|18|kg|lb stlb}} and moved to the larger [[Finn (dinghy)|Finn]] class for the [[Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympics]], where he won gold, a feat he repeated in the [[Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Finn class|2008]] and [[Sailing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Finn class|2012]] competitions.
Ainslie won silver at the [[1996 Olympic Games]] and gold in the [[Sailing at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer Olympics]] in the [[Laser (dinghy)|Laser]] class. He gained some {{convert|18|kg|lb stlb}} and moved to the larger [[Finn (dinghy)|Finn]] class for the [[Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympics]], where he won gold, a feat he repeated in the [[Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Finn class|2008]] and [[Sailing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Finn class|2012]] competitions.

Revision as of 02:09, 12 August 2012

Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie, 2009
Personal information
NationalityUnited Kingdom
Born (1977-02-05) 5 February 1977 (age 47)
Macclesfield, England
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Sailing
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Laser
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Finn
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Finn
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Finn
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Laser
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Takapuna Laser Radial
Gold medal – first place 1999 Melbourne Laser
Gold medal – first place 2002 Athens Finn
Gold medal – first place 2003 Cadiz Finn
Gold medal – first place 2004 Rio de Janeiro Finn
Gold medal – first place 2005 Moscow Finn
Gold medal – first place 2008 Melbourne Finn
Gold medal – first place 2012 Falmouth Finn
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Simon's Town Laser
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Algarrobo Laser
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Cancun Laser
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Brighton Etchells

Charles Benedict Ainslie, CBE, (born 5 February 1977) is an English competitive sailor, who in 2012 became the first person to win medals in sailing at five Olympic Games, and the second (after Paul Elvstrøm) to win four gold medals.[1][2][3]

Early life

Ainslie was born in Macclesfield, the son of Roderick 'Roddy' Ainslie, who captained a boat that took part in the first Whitbread Round The World Race in 1973, and his wife Sue.[4] His elder sister, Fleur, is married to Jerome Pels, secretary general of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).[4]

Ainslie was educated at Pennington Infant School - a Hampshire state primary school in the port town of Lymington, and then at the independent Truro School. Ainslie later attended Peter Symonds sixth form college in the city of Winchester.[5]

Personal life

Ainslie resides in Lymington, and belongs to the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. There he is coached by David Howlett, who raced a Finn sailor at 1976 Summer Olympics.[4]

His girlfriend is Dutch Laser Radial sailor Marit Bouwmeester, who won silver in the class at London 2012. He drives an Aston Martin, plays golf, and supports Chelsea F.C..[4]

Awards and honours

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours after his success in Sydney, and was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours following the Athens Games.[6][7] He was again promoted, to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours, following the Beijing Games.[8]

He won the International Sailing Federation top Award more times than anyone else being named ISAF World Sailor of the Year in 1998, 2002 and 2008. He was also nominated 2004 and 2011.

He was awarded the title of British Yachtsman of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2002.

At the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships he was in a winning position going into the closing stages of the regatta but was disqualified under rule 69 (gross misconduct) for physically threatening a photographer. Ainslie felt the photographer's boat's wake had prevented him from passing a competitor.[9]

On 19 May 2012 he became the first person to carry the Olympic torch in the UK. Starting the 70-day tour of the United Kingdom at Land's End, he was the first of 8,000 torch carriers, passing the flame to 18-year-old Cornish surfer Tassy Swallow.[10] His gold medal at the 2012 Olympics was presented by two Royal former Olympians, Princess Anne and King Constantine of Greece. He was selected on 11 August 2012 to carry the flag for the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.[11]

Sailing career

Ainslie learned to sail at Restronguet Creek near Falmouth, Cornwall.[12] He started sailing at the age of eight and first competed at the age of ten.[13] Ainslie's first international competition was the 1989 Optimist world championships held in Japan where he placed 37th.

Olympics

Ainslie won silver at the 1996 Olympic Games and gold in the 2000 Summer Olympics in the Laser class. He gained some 18 kilograms (40 lb; 2 st 12 lb) and moved to the larger Finn class for the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he won gold, a feat he repeated in the 2008 and 2012 competitions.

World Championship

World Championships Titles

Other World Championships Results

37th 1989 Optimist World Championships held in Japan
2nd 1994 IYRU Youth Sailing World Championships in Marathon
43rd 1994 Laser World Championship
21st 1995 Laser World Championship
3rd 1996 Laser World Championship
3rd 1997 Laser World Championship
3rd 2000 Laser World Championship
3rd 2009 Etchells World Championships
11th 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships which effectively is the Finn World Championship

Other significant results

4th 2010 – Team Origin – TP52 Audi Medcup
1st 1993 Laser Radial European Championship, Greece

America's Cup

At the beginning of 2005 he worked in the role of Tactician in the New Zealand-based Team New Zealand who were preparing to compete in the challenger selection process to win the right to Challenge for the 32nd America's Cup.

In May 2005 Ainslie took the decision to relinquish the role of tactician and focus on improving his Match Racing skills as helmsman of the 'B' boat used to practise and tune the race boat helmed by Dean Barker.

Ainslie figureheaded a British challenge for the Cup alongside Sir Keith Mills the team was named Team Origin. However this challenge withdraw without competing following a period of discussion regarding the future format of the event.

On 10 January 2012 Ben Ainslie Racing was formally announced, figure-headed by Ben with the support of Grant Simmers. It will compete in the remaining AC45 America's Cup World Series events. The team was underwritten by the American defender Oracle Racing, with whom he has close links. The team's aim is to help prepare the defender for competition and to hopefully provide the building blocks for a British challenge to the 35th America's Cup.[15]

World Match Racing Tour

In December 2010, Ainslie finished in first place in the World Match Racing Tour, and is the 2010 ISAF Match Racing Champion.

References

  1. ^ Morris, Steven (5 August 2012). "Ben Ainslie wins his fourth Olympic gold medal for Great Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. ^ McEvoy, Jonathan (5 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: Sailing - Ben Ainslie wins gold". Mail Online. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Ben Ainslie wins fourth Olympics sailing gold medal". Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Elaine Bunting (5 August 2012). "20 things about Ben Ainslie". yachtingworld.com. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Ben Ainslie". Sailor Biography. ISAF UK. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  6. ^ "No. 56070". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 30 December 2000.
  7. ^ "No. 57509". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 31 December 2004.
  8. ^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 31 December 2008.
  9. ^ "Ben Ainslie disqualified from World Championships after TV row". The Guardian. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Ben Ainslie Starts the Torch Relay". The BBC. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Ben Ainslie to carry British flag at Olympics closing ceremony". BBC Sport. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  12. ^ Steven Morris (18 May 2012). "Ben Ainslie's Olympic torch run sets course for London Games". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "About Ben". www.benainslie.com. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  14. ^ Finn World Website Press Release
  15. ^ [1][dead link]

External links

Template:Footer Olympic Champions Finn Class

Template:Persondata

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