Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Mitchell Jay Booth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | 'The Legend' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Australian /Dutch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Sydney, Australia | 4 January 1963||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sailing career ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class(es) | Tornado | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Pittwater,Palm Beach, Sydney, Australia ; Rotterdamsche Zeilvereeniging; CV Palamós | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on 12 February 2014. |
Mitchell Jay "Mitch" Booth (born 4 January 1963, in Sydney) is a sailor from Australia, [1] who represented his native country for the first time at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Booth as helmsman in the Australian Tornado with John Forbes as crew took Bronze. In 1996, Booth made a second appearance this time with crew member Andrew Landenberger the team took the Silver in the Tornado. In 2004, Athens Booth represented the Netherlands as helmsman of the Dutch Tornado. [2] [3] With crew member Herbert Dercksen Booth took 5th place. [4] His final Olympic appearance came during the 2008 Summer Olympics [5] in Qingdao. Now with crew member Pim Nieuwenhuis in the Dutch Tornado, Booth finished 5th. [6]
Booth started his sailing career at the age of four, when his mother taught him the basics on Pittwater. Alongside his father John (Jay) Booth won his first State Championship as a seven-year-old boy. His father honored his desire to skipper and compete in international competitions. His first break-through came at the age of seventeen, when finishing second in an Australian Championship. This achievement guaranteed his participation at the World Championship in the United States. From a fleet of over hundred boats representing nine countries, he and his crew went on to win the title. Since then Booth has made his life as a professional sailor. The projects have varied from Olympic sailing to Ocean racing and to keel boat racing. Off the water he has been involved in many sailing related activities including the creation of the current Olympic Tornado class Rig, design and build of A Class cats, the creation of Volvo Extreme 40, sailing Manager for America's cup team (1995) and technical adviser to ISAF.
In total he took part in 64 World Championships, becoming World Champion a total of ten times. In the 50 national championships in which he took part he took the title a total of 13 times. He has won 23 out of 47 Australian State Championships in which he performed. He won eight European titles since becoming Dutch in sixteen starts. He took part in four Olympics. In 2000 Sydney he was coach of the Australian national team squad.
He has been named the 1992 Australian Yachtsman of the Year, the 1993 Caltex Sports Star finalist, three times NSW Yachtsman of the Year, the 1995 America's Cup sailing manager, the 1996 MMI Sports Star finalist, the 1996 Australian Yachtsman of the Year and the 2004 Dutch Sailor of the year. He was also crew member of the boats holding the previous World 24-hour distance record and Transatlantic (Cádiz to San Salvador) record holder (ClubMed) and the current Round Britain and Ireland record (PlayStation (yacht)). [7] [8]
Dennis Walter Conner is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup.
Herbert Willem Constant Dercksen is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country for the first time at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Savannah. Dercksen as crew in the Dutch Tornado with Ron van Teylingen as helmsman took the 9th place. In 2004 Dercksen returned to the Olympics in Athens. This time with Helmsman Mitch Booth Dercksen took 5th place in the Tornado.
Fernando Echávarri Erasun is a professional yachtsman in the Olympic Tornado class. Teaming with crew Antón Paz Blanco, he became the Spanish, European, World Champion, ISAF Sailor of the year in 2005, Olympic gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games held in Qingdao.
Margriet Matthijsse is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented her country for the first time at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Matthijsse took the silver in Europe. In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Matthijsse took her second silver medal again in Europe. Matthijsse final Olympic appearance was during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. As crew in the Women's 470 with helmsman Lisa Westerhof she took 9th place.
Annemieke Marileen Bes is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented her country for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The Dutch Yngling helmed by Annelies Thies and crewed by Bes and Petronella de Jong took the 4th place. Bes returned to the Olympics, again in the Dutch Yngling, during the 2008 Olympics this time with fellow crewmember Merel Witteveen and helmsman Mandy Mulder. The Dutch Yngling team took the Silver Medal in Qingdao. Bes than switched to the Elliott 6m Match racing. During the 2012 Olympics the team with helmsman Renee Groeneveld and crewmembers Bes and Marcelien Bos-de Koning took 8th place in Weymouth.
Mandy Mulder is a sailor from the Netherlands. Mulder represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With fellow crew members Annemieke Bes and Merel Witteveen, Mulder as helmsman took Silver medal in the Yngling.
Merel Witteveen is a sailor from the Netherlands. Witteveen represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With fellow crew member Annemieke Bes and Mandy Mulder as helmsman, Witteveen took Silver medal in the Yngling.
Lobke Berkhout is a sailor from the Netherlands who represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With helmsman Marcelien de Koning Berkhout took the silver medal as crew in the Women's 470. Berkhout returned as crew member to the 2012 Olympic regatta's in Weymouth in the 470. With helmsman Lisa Westerhof Berkhout took the bronze medal in the Women's 470.
Marcelien Bos-de Koning is a Dutch three-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist sports sailor. She represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With crew member Lobke Berkhout Bos-de Koning took the silver medal as helmsman in the Women's 470. Bos-de Koning returned as crew member to the 2012 Olympic match regatta's in Weymouth in the Elliott 6m. With helmsman Renee Groeneveld and fellow crew member Annemieke Bes Bos-de Koning took 8th place.
Kalle Kristian Coster is a sailor from the Netherlands. Coster represented his country for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With his brother Sven Coster as helmsman, Coster took 6th place as crew in the Dutch Men's 470. Coster's second Olympic appearance was during the 2008 Olympics in Qingdao again as crew in the Men's 470 with his brother as helmsman. Coster took the 4th place. Again with Sven as helmsman in the Men's 470 Coster crewed the Dutch 470 at the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth. The brothers finished in 12th place.
Sven Erik Coster is a sailor from the Netherlands. Coster represented his country for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With his brother Kalle Coster as crew Coster took 6th place as helmsman in the Dutch Men's 470. Coster's second Olympic appearance was during the 2008 Olympics in Qingdao again as helmsman in the 470 and his brother as crew, Coster took the 4th place. Also with Kalle as crew in the 470 Coster helmed the Dutch 470 at the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth. The brothers finished on the 12th place.
Pim Nieuwenhuis is a sailor from the Netherlands. Nieuwenhuis as crew on the Dutch Tornado with Mitch Booth as helmsman took 5th place in the Tornado during the 2008 Olympics, in Qingdao.
Mark Jacobus Louis Neeleman is a sailor from the Netherlands. Since the Netherlands did boycott the Moscow Olympic Games Neeleman represented his National Olympic Committee at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Tallinn, USSR under the Dutch NOC flag. Neeleman took 8th place in the 1980 Summer Olympics, which was boycotted by several countries. In 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Neeleman did a second attempt in the Finn and finished on the 9th place. Neeleman missed the selection for the 1988 Olympics, Pusan.
John Forbes is an Australian sailor and has competed at three Olympic Games, winning a bronze at Barcelona 1992 and silver in 2000 at the Sydney Games.
Lisa Laetitia Westerhof is a sailor from the Netherlands. Westerhof represented her country at the Optimist World Championship in 1995 and 1996, becoming only the second girl to win the championship outright.
Carolijn Mariëlle Brouwer is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented her country for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Brouwer as helmsman of the Dutch boat with Alexandra Verbeek as crew took the 13th place in the Women's 470. In the 2004 Olympics, Brouwer returned to the Olympics in Europe and took 19th place. Brouwer than switched to the Tornado and qualified for the 2008 Olympics. However this time she sailed for Belgium. As helmsman, with crew Sébastien Godefroid she took 12th place.
Petrus Reininus Johannes "Peter" van Niekerk is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. With Roy Heiner as helmsman and Dirk de Ridder as fellow crew member, Van Niekerk took the 4th place in the Soling. In the 2004 Olympics in Athena Van Niekerk made his second Olympic appearance. This time in the Star with Mark Neeleman as helmsman. They took 14th place.
Jacob Dirk "Jaap" Zielhuis is a sailor from the Netherlands. Zielhuis represented his country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Zielhuis took 19th place in the Finn. During the Sydney Olympics 2000 Zielhuis was coach of the Dutch Olympic Sailing Team.
Petronella Catharina de Jong is a sailor from the Netherlands. De Jong represented her country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With helmsman Annelies Thies and fellow crew member Annemieke Bes De Jong took 4th place in the Yngling.
Rudy den Outer is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country at the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games in Medemblik, as helmsman in the Dutch Soling Sophie's Choice. Den Outer with crew members Leo Determan and Ronald den Arend took the Gold. In the 2012 Vintage Yachting Games, this time with crew members Gavin Lidlow and Ramzi Souli the team took the Silver medal in Bellano, Italy. In 2003 with helmsman Fred Imhoff and Richard van Rij he became European Champion in the Dragon at Kinsale, Ireland. Den Outer is also very active in the organization of major International Sailing events for Olympic and former Olympic classes.