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Ben Ainslie

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Sir
Ben Ainslie
CBE
Sir Ben Ainslie in 2020
Personal information
Full nameCharles Benedict Ainslie
Nationality United Kingdom
Born (1977-02-05) 5 February 1977 (age 47)
Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Weight90 kg (198 lb)[1]
Spouse
​
(m. 2014)​
Sailing career
Class(es)Finn, Laser, Optimist, America's Cup
Medal record
Sailing
Representing  Great Britain
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 1 0
Olympic Class World Championship 8 0 3
Other Sailing World 3 1 1
Total 15 2 4
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 1995 Hamilton Laser (Youth)
Gold medal – first place 1998 Laser
Gold medal – first place 1999 Melbourne Laser
Gold medal – first place 2002 Athens Finn
Gold medal – first place 2003 Cádiz 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 2010 Tour Match Racing
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

Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie CBE (born 5 February 1977) is a British competitive sailor. Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including gold at four consecutive Games from 2000 to 2012.[2][3]

He is one of three men to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing, doing so after Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt, and the second to win four gold medals, after Paul Elvstrøm.[3][4]

Ainslie is team principal, CEO and skipper of INEOS Britannia and CEO and until 2024 was the driver of the Great Britain SailGP Team.[5]

Early life

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Ainslie was born in Macclesfield, England to Roddy and Sue Ainslie. Roddy captained a boat that took part in the first Whitbread Round The World Race in 1973.[6] Ben's elder sister, Fleur, is married to Jerome Pels, former secretary general of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).[6] Ainslie was educated at two independent schools: at the Terra Nova School in a rural area near the village of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire in north west England, and Truro School in the city of Truro, Cornwall, followed by Peter Symonds Sixth Form, Winchester, Hampshire.[7]

Career

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Ainslie learned to sail at Restronguet Creek near Falmouth, Cornwall.[8]

He started sailing at the age of eight and first competed at the age of ten.[9] His first international competition was aged twelve at the 1989 Optimist world championships held in Japan where he placed 73rd.

Olympics

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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. Both his gold medal-winning Laser and Finn dinghies are currently displayed at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

On 19 May 2012, Ainslie 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.[10] He was selected on 11 August 2012 to carry the flag for the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.[11]

World Championship

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World Championships titles

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Other World Championships results

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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.[13]

Other significant results

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  • 1st 1993 Laser Radial European Championship, Greece
  • 1st 2006 Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup – Maxi – Alfa Romeo
  • 1st 2008 Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup – Mini Maxi – Alfa Romeo 3[14]
  • 1st 2009 Transpac Race and monohull record time (5 days 14 hours) Alfa Romeo
  • 4th 2010 Team Origin – TP52 Audi Medcup
  • 2013 The Round the Island Race record and line Honors JPMorgan
  • 1st 2015/2016 Americas Cup World Series Land Rover BAR

America's Cup

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Sir Ben Ainslie with fans in 2014

At the beginning of 2005 Ainslie 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 practice and tune the race boat helmed by Dean Barker.

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

For the 2013 America's Cup, Ainslie was recruited as a tactician by Oracle Team USA, as a replacement for John Kostecki during an Oracle practice session on 11 September 2013.[16] On 12 September, the following day, he replaced Kostecki going into race six of the 2013 America's Cup.[17] His Oracle Team USA beat Team New Zealand in the America's Cup decider in San Francisco on 25 September.[18]

In January 2012, Ben Ainslie announced the formation of an eponymous team to compete in the America's Cup: Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR). His team competed in the AC45 class of the 2011–13 America's Cup World Series,[19] 2014 Extreme Sailing Series and set a multihull record for the Round the Island Race. The team won the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series but were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger's Trophy competition to determine the challenger for the 2017 America's Cup.

In April 2018 Ainslie announced the Americas Cup team would be renamed INEOS TEAM UK in partnership with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Again based out of the Portsmouth HQ the team built two new 75-foot foiling monohull yachts to compete for the 36th Americas Cup set which took place in Auckland, New Zealand in 2021.

On 21 October 2020, Ben and INEOS TEAM UK launched their race boat for the 36th America's Cup from their HQ in Auckland, naming the AC75 race boat 'Britannia' Following a disappointing performance in the Auckland ACWS event in December 2020, the team spent the following three weeks making modifications to their boat Britannia ahead of the start of the Prada Cup qualifying series. This included a new mast and sails as well as modifications to the hull and foils. The team received support from INEOS sponsored Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

INEOS Team UK dominated the Round Robin phase of the Prada Cup which saw them race and beat each of the two other challenger teams three times, securing their place in the Prada Cup Final beginning on 13 February 2021. The team's place in the Prada Cup final marked a significant point in their campaign, being the furthest any British challenge had progressed in the competition since the introduction of a challenger selection series.

After Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's win in the Prada Cup Semi-Finals against American Magic, the American team was eliminated from the event, securing the Italian team's place in the Prada Cup Final alongside INEOS Team UK.

The Prada Cup Finals were held in predominantly light wind (8-14 knots), with Luna Rossa showing great improvement in boat handling, winning the first 5 races consecutively. INEOS Team UK showed superior downwind pace in Race 6, taking their sole race win before Luna Rossa dominated Day 4 to take their sixth and seventh race win, winning the Prada Cup overall, and securing their place in the 36th America's Cup Match against Emirates Team New Zealand.

On 17 March 2021, following Emirates Team New Zealand's defence of their title (their seventh win overall), the Chairman of Royal Yacht Squadron Racing, Bertie Bicket, issued a pre-arranged, "friendly" challenge to the Commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Aaron Young.[20][21] This made Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and their sailing team Ineos Team UK the Challenger of Record for the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup.[22]

The challenge agreed that the 37th Americas Cup would be raced in the America's Cup 75 (AC75), a 23 m (75 ft) foiling monohull class, that there would be nationality rules in place, a cost reduction programme and that the America's Cup will be raced in Barcelona as a first-to-seven-wins series from 12 October 2024 (expected to be completed on or before 21 October 2024).[23] The Royal Yacht Squadron's challenge is the first time a British team had competed in three consecutive America's Cup cycles since 1930 when Sir Thomas Lipton challenged in the yacht Shamrock V.[21][24]

On the 4 October 2024, after a 7–4 win, the yacht Britannia (Ineos Team UK) defeated Luna Rossa representing Circolo della Vela Sicilia winning the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selections Series to challenge Emirates Team New Zealand for the 37th America's Cup.[25][26] This is the first time the UK has challenged the America's Cup since 1964 when Tony Boyden's sovereign (representing the Royal Thames Yacht Club) lost 4-0 to Eric Ridder's Constellation.[27][24]

The match was raced between Taihoro, helmed by Peter Burling and Nathan Outteridge, and Britannia helmed by Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher, the winners of qualifying event - the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup.[28] Races were held, from October 12-October 19, with Reserve Days on Oct 14-15, 17. Eventually losing the series 7-2, Ineos Team UK became the first UK challenger to score in an America's Cup match since 1934 when Sir Thomas Sopwith's Endeavor (representing the Royal Yacht Squadron) lost 4-2 to Harold S. Vanderbilt's Rainbow.

World Match Racing Tour

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

The Extreme Sailing Series

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In January 2014, it was announced that Ainslie would compete in the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series as part of his preparation for the America's Cup. The eight-race event will see him compete in a 40 feet (12 m) multi-hull boat.[29]

Personal life

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Ainslie lives in Seaview on the Isle of Wight. He belongs to the Sea View Yacht Club and is an honorary member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. He supports Chelsea.[6]

In August 2014, Ainslie was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.[30]

On 20 December 2014, Ainslie married former Sky Sports News presenter Georgie Thompson.[31] The couple have a daughter, Bellatrix, born in 2016.[32] and a son, Fox, born in 2021.[33]

Awards and honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Ben Ainslie". teamgb.com.
  2. ^ Paul Gittings; Brooke Bowman (24 April 2013). "Ben Ainslie's ambition: Sailing hero takes on America's Cup challenge". CNN. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b Morris, Steven (5 August 2012). "Ben Ainslie wins his fourth Olympic gold medal for Great Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Ben Ainslie wins fourth Olympics sailing gold medal". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  5. ^ Sarah Jenkins (4 January 2024). "Sir Ben Ainslie steps down as driver of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team". SailGP. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Elaine Bunting (5 August 2012). "20 things about Ben Ainslie". yachtingworld.com. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  7. ^ "Ben Ainslie profile". Sailor Biography. ISAF UK. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
  8. ^ Steven Morris (18 May 2012). "Ben Ainslie's Olympic torch run sets course for London Games". The Guardian.
  9. ^ "About Ben". benainslie.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Ben Ainslie Starts the Torch Relay". BBC News. 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. ^ Finn World Website Press Release Archived 18 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine, falmouthfinnfestival.com; accessed 11 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Ben Ainslie disqualified from World Championships after TV row". The Guardian. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  14. ^ "- Press Releases – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles EMEA Press". Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Grant Dalton introduces the team". scoop.co.nz. 14 June 2004.
  16. ^ Ben Ainslie. "Ainslie in tactician's role for practice session". New Zealand: Stuff. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  17. ^ "Ben Ainslie Steers America's Cup Comeback", Sky.com; retrieved 24 September 2013.
  18. ^ "Ben Ainslie's USA beat Team New Zealand in decider". BBC Sport. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  19. ^ Ainslie defends Oracle cup role, Independent, 11 January 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  20. ^ "RNZYS Accept Notice of Challenge for the 37th America's Cup". Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. 19 March 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Joint statement from Royal Yacht Squadron Racing and INEOS TEAM UK" (PDF). rys.org.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  22. ^ "British team confirmed as Challenger of Record for 37th America's Cup". Yachting World. 19 March 2021.
  23. ^ Cup, America's. "Barcelona to Host 37th America's Cup in 2024". 37th America's Cup.
  24. ^ a b "The History of the British Challenge". www.ineosbritannia.com. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Barcelona to Host 37th America's Cup in 2024". America's Cup.com. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  26. ^ Cup, America's. "Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup Barcelona". 37th America's Cup. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Britain end 60-year wait to compete for America's Cup by beating Italy | America's Cup | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  28. ^ "LOUIS VUITTON 37TH AMERICA'S CUP". 37th America's Cup. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  29. ^ "Sir Ben Ainslie to compete in Extreme Sailing Series". BBC Sport. 8 January 2014.
  30. ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". Politics. The Guardian. London. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  31. ^ "Ben Ainslie Marries". YBW. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  32. ^ "Always Sunny in Ainslie Land". 26 July 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  33. ^ @AinslieBen (14 July 2021). "Big moment for our little family @OfficiallyGT😘" (Tweet) – via Twitter. Welcome to the World Fox Ainslie ❤️Our second miracle baby being adored by our first ❤️ We couldn't be more grateful, more humbled or more amazed by those who helped ⁦@AinslieBen⁩ and I make this moment a reality or more in love with our little fox cub ❤️ ⁦
  34. ^ United Kingdom list: "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 13.
  35. ^ University of Chichester (26 September 2013). "Honorary Graduate Ben Ainslie inspires America's Cup Win". University of Chichester. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  36. ^ "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 13.
  37. ^ "No. 57509". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 9.
  38. ^ University of Exeter (2015). "Honorary Graduates of the University". University of Exeter. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  39. ^ Matt Smith (14 September 2007). "University to honour Olympian Ben". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  40. ^ Karenza Morton (12 December 2008). "Vote for Ben !". The Daily Sail. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  41. ^ BBC Sport: Bradley Wiggins wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year; BBC, accessed 17 December 2012.
  42. ^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 7.
  43. ^ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 2.
  44. ^ "Knights Bachelor" (PDF). Cabinet Office. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
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