Wikipedia

Ben Ainslie

Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie(born 5 February 1977) is a Britishcompetitive 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]

Sir
Ben Ainslie
CBE
Ainslie in 2021
Personal information
Full nameCharles Benedict Ainslie
NationalityUnited Kingdom
Born(1977-02-05)5 February 1977(age 48)
Macclesfield,Cheshire,England
Weight90 kg (198 lb)[1]
Spouse
​
(m.2014)​
Sailing career
Class(es)Finn,Laser,Optimist, America's Cup
Medal record
Sailing
RepresentingGreat Britain
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 1 0
Olympic Class World Championship 8 0 3
OtherSailing 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 1995Hamilton 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

He is one of three men to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing, doing so afterTorben GraelandRobert Scheidt,and the second to win four gold medals, afterPaul Elvstrøm.[3][4]

Ainslie is CEO of Athena Sports Group which includes the roles of Team Principal, CEO and Skipper ofINEOS Britanniaand CEO of the Emirates Great BritainSailGPTeam.[5]He is also a Patron of the 1851 Trust, a British charity that supports young people in sailing and STEM education.[6]

Early life

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Ainslie was born inMacclesfield,England to Roddy and Sue Ainslie. Roddy captained a boat that took part in the firstWhitbread Round The World Racein 1973.[7]Ben's elder sister, Fleur, is married to Jerome Pels, former secretary general of theInternational Sailing Federation(ISAF).[7]Ainslie was educated at twoindependent schools:at theTerra Nova Schoolin a rural area near the village ofHolmes ChapelinCheshirein north west England, andTruro Schoolin the city ofTruro,Cornwall, followed byPeter Symonds Sixth Form,Winchester,Hampshire.[8]

Career

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Ainslie learned to sail atRestronguet CreeknearFalmouth, Cornwall.[9]

He started sailing at the age of eight and first competed at the age of ten.[10]His first international competition was aged twelve at the 1989Optimistworld championships held in Japan where he placed 73rd.

Olympics

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Ainslie won silver at the1996 Olympic Gamesand gold in the2000 Summer Olympicsin theLaserclass. He gained some 18 kilograms (40 lb; 2 st 12 lb) and moved to the largerFinnclass for the2004 Summer Olympics,where he won gold, a feat he repeated in the2008and2012competitions.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 atLand's End,he was the first of 8,000 torch carriers.[11]He was selected on 11 August 2012 to carry the flag for the Great Britain team at theLondon 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.[12]

World Championship

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World Championships titles

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Other World Championships results

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At the2011 ISAF Sailing World Championshipshe 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.[14]

Other significant results

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  • 1st 1993Laser RadialEuropean Championship,Greece
  • 1st 2006 Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup – Maxi – Alfa Romeo
  • 1st 2008 Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup – Mini Maxi – Alfa Romeo 3[15]
  • 1st 2009Transpac Raceand monohull record time (5 days 14 hours) Alfa Romeo
  • 4th 2010Team Origin–TP52Audi Medcup
  • 2013The Round the Island Racerecord 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-basedTeam New Zealandwho were preparing to compete in the challenger selection process to win the right to Challenge for the 32ndAmerica's Cup.In May 2005 Ainslie took the decision to relinquish the role of tactician and focus on improving hismatch racingskills as helmsman of the 'B' boat used to practice and tune the race boat helmed byDean Barker.

Ainslie figure headed a British challenge for the Cup alongsideSir Keith Millsthe team was namedTeam Origin.However this challenge withdrew without competing following a period of discussion regarding the future format of the event.

For the2013 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.[17]On 12 September, the following day, he replaced Kostecki going into race six of the2013 America's Cup.[18]His Oracle Team USA beat Team New Zealand in the America's Cup decider in San Francisco on 25 September.[19]

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 the2011–13 America's Cup World Series,[20]2014 Extreme Sailing Seriesand set a multihull record for theRound the Island Race.The team won the2015–16 America's Cup World Seriesbut were eliminated in the semi-finals of the2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger's Trophycompetition to determine the challenger for the2017 America's Cup.

In April 2018 Ainslie announced the Americas Cup team would be renamed INEOS TEAM UK in partnership withINEOSandSir 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 andINEOS TEAM UKlaunched their race boat for the 36thAmerica's Cupfrom 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 UKshowed 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 theRoyal New Zealand Yacht Squadron,Aaron Young.[21][22]This made Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and their re-named sailing teamINEOS Britanniathe Challenger of Record for the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup.[23]

The challenge agreed that the37th Americas Cupwould 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 inBarcelonaas a first-to-seven-wins series from 12 October 2024 (expected to be completed on or before 21 October 2024).[24]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 yachtShamrock V.[22][25]

On the 4 October 2024, after a 7–4 win, the yachtBritanniaINEOS BritanniadefeatedLuna RossarepresentingCircolo della Vela Siciliawinning theLouis Vuitton Challenger Selections Seriesto challengeEmirates Team New Zealandfor the 37th America's Cup.[26][27]This is the first time the UK has challenged the America's Cup since 1964 when Tony Boyden'ssovereign(representing the Royal Thames Yacht Club) lost 4-0 toEric Ridder'sConstellation.[28][25]

The match was raced betweenTaihoro,helmed byPeter BurlingandNathan Outteridge,andBritanniahelmed by Ainslie andDylan Fletcher,the winners of qualifying event - the2024 Louis Vuitton Cup.[29]Races were held, from October 12-October 19, with Reserve Days on Oct 14-15, 17. Eventually losing the series 7-2,INEOS Britanniabecame the first UK challenger to score in an America's Cup match since 1934 whenSir Thomas Sopwith'sEndeavor(representing theRoyal Yacht Squadron) lost 4-2 toHarold S. Vanderbilt'sRainbow.

On 23rd January 2025 it was announced that Ben Ainslie had split from INEOS Brittania and that consequently he would be contesting the 38th America's Cup as the Challenger of Record with hisAthena Pathwayteam.[30]

World Match Racing Tour

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In December 2010, Ainslie finished in first place in theWorld 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.[31]

Personal life

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Ainslie lives inLondon.He is a member of the Sea View Yacht Club and is an honorary member of theRoyal Yacht Squadron.He supportsChelsea.[7]

In August 2014, Ainslie was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter toThe Guardianexpressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September'sreferendum on that issue.[32]

On 20 December 2014, Ainslie married formerSky Sports NewspresenterGeorgie Thompson.[33]The couple have a daughter, Bellatrix, born in 2016.[34]and a son, Fox, born in 2021.[35]

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.Retrieved22 October2021.
  3. ^abMorris, Steven (5 August 2012)."Ben Ainslie wins his fourth Olympic gold medal for Great Britain".The Guardian.Retrieved5 August2012.
  4. ^"Ben Ainslie wins fourth Olympics sailing gold medal".BBC Sport. Archived fromthe originalon 5 August 2012.Retrieved5 August2012.
  5. ^Sarah Jenkins (4 January 2024)."Sir Ben Ainslie steps down as driver of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team".SailGP.Retrieved4 October2024.
  6. ^"Our people".1851 Trust.Retrieved21 January2025.
  7. ^abcElaine Bunting (5 August 2012)."20 things about Ben Ainslie".yachtingworld.com.Retrieved10 August2012.
  8. ^"Ben Ainslie profile".Sailor Biography.ISAF UK.Retrieved17 August2008.
  9. ^Steven Morris (18 May 2012)."Ben Ainslie's Olympic torch run sets course for London Games".The Guardian.
  10. ^"About Ben".benainslie.com.Archived fromthe originalon 15 November 2011.Retrieved6 November2011.
  11. ^"Ben Ainslie Starts the Torch Relay".BBC News.19 May 2012.Retrieved19 May2012.
  12. ^"Ben Ainslie to carry British flag at Olympics closing ceremony".BBC Sport.10 August 2012.Retrieved10 August2012.
  13. ^Finn World Website Press ReleaseArchived18 June 2013 at theWayback Machine,falmouthfinnfestival.com; accessed 11 April 2014.
  14. ^"Ben Ainslie disqualified from World Championships after TV row".The Guardian.10 December 2011.Retrieved10 December2011.
  15. ^"- Press Releases – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles EMEA Press".Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2019.Retrieved28 December2019.
  16. ^"Grant Dalton introduces the team".scoop.co.nz.14 June 2004.
  17. ^Ben Ainslie."Ainslie in tactician's role for practice session".New Zealand: Stuff.Retrieved11 September2013.
  18. ^"Ben Ainslie Steers America's Cup Comeback",Sky.com; retrieved 24 September 2013.
  19. ^"Ben Ainslie's USA beat Team New Zealand in decider".BBC Sport. 26 September 2013.Retrieved26 September2013.
  20. ^Ainslie defends Oracle cup role,Independent, 11 January 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  21. ^"RNZYS Accept Notice of Challenge for the 37th America's Cup".Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. 19 March 2021.
  22. ^ab"Joint statement from Royal Yacht Squadron Racing and INEOS TEAM UK"(PDF).rys.org.uk.Retrieved21 March2023.
  23. ^"British team confirmed as Challenger of Record for 37th America's Cup".Yachting World.19 March 2021.
  24. ^Cup, America's."Barcelona to Host 37th America's Cup in 2024".37th America's Cup.
  25. ^ab"The History of the British Challenge".www.ineosbritannia.com.Retrieved5 October2024.
  26. ^"Barcelona to Host 37th America's Cup in 2024".America's Cup.com. 29 March 2022.Retrieved27 April2022.
  27. ^Cup, America's."Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup Barcelona".37th America's Cup.Retrieved24 December2023.
  28. ^"Britain end 60-year wait to compete for America's Cup by beating Italy | America's Cup | The Guardian".amp.theguardian.com.Retrieved4 October2024.
  29. ^"LOUIS VUITTON 37TH AMERICA'S CUP".37th America's Cup.Retrieved21 August2024.
  30. ^https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sailing/articles/cj02m85qeveo
  31. ^"Sir Ben Ainslie to compete in Extreme Sailing Series".BBC Sport. 8 January 2014.
  32. ^"Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories".Politics.The Guardian.London. 7 August 2014.Retrieved26 August2014.
  33. ^"Ben Ainslie Marries".YBW.23 December 2014.Retrieved3 January2015.
  34. ^"Always Sunny in Ainslie Land".26 July 2016.Retrieved2 August2016.
  35. ^@AinslieBen (14 July 2021)."Big moment for our little family @OfficiallyGT😘"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.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 ❤️ ⁦
  36. ^United Kingdom list:"No. 56070".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 13.
  37. ^University of Chichester (26 September 2013)."Honorary Graduate Ben Ainslie inspires America's Cup Win".University of Chichester.Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2015.Retrieved10 August2015.
  38. ^"No. 56070".The London Gazette(Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 13.
  39. ^"No. 57509".The London Gazette(Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 9.
  40. ^University of Exeter (2015)."Honorary Graduates of the University".University of Exeter.Retrieved10 August2015.
  41. ^Matt Smith (14 September 2007)."University to honour Olympian Ben".Southern Daily Echo.Retrieved10 August2015.
  42. ^Karenza Morton (12 December 2008)."Vote for Ben!".The Daily Sail.Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved10 August2015.
  43. ^BBC Sport: Bradley Wiggins wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year;BBC, accessed 17 December 2012.
  44. ^"No. 58929".The London Gazette(Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 7.
  45. ^"No. 60367".The London Gazette(Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 2.
  46. ^"Knights Bachelor"(PDF).Cabinet Office.29 December 2012.Retrieved29 December2012.
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