Shirley Robertson

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Shirley Robertson
Medal record
Women's sailing
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2000 Sydney Europe class
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens Yngling class
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1993 Kaløvig Europe class
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1998 TravemündeEurope class
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2000 Salvador da BahiaEurope class
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg1999 MorningtonEurope class
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2007 Cascals Yngling class
European Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1999 Hayling Island Europe class

Shirley Ann Robertson, OBE DL (born 15 July 1968) is a British sailor and Olympic gold medallist. She is the first British woman to win an Olympic gold medal at consecutive games, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

Contents

Early life

Robertson was born in Dundee, Scotland, but spent her early life in Menstrie in central Scotland. Robertson began sailing at the age of seven on Loch Ard in Scotland. Her early passion for the sport was nurtured by her family, leading her to compete in local and national events. [1]

Career

Robertson's first major international breakthrough came in the 1998 World Championships, where she won a silver medal in the Europe class. This set the stage for her Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she competed in the Europe class, finishing in fourth place.

Robertson made a significant breakthrough during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where she won her first gold medal in the Europe class. This victory marked a significant moment in British sailing history, as it was the first time a British woman had won an Olympic gold in sailing. [2]

Four years later, at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Robertson secured her second gold medal, this time in the Yngling class, alongside crew-mates Sarah Webb and Sarah Ayton. This achievement made her the first British woman to win gold medals at two consecutive Olympic Games. [3]

Post-Olympic career

In January 2006 she became the regular presenter of Mainsail, a CNN monthly program devoted to the sailing world. She was also a commentator for the BBC's sailing coverage at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Robertson nominated Callum Airlie as one of the seven teenagers to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. During the games, she became a commentator for the BBC, commentating on the sailing from Weymouth.

In 2019, Robertson launched her own podcast series: Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast which sees Robertson sit down for in depth and personal interviews with some of the leading figures from the sport of sailing. [4] [5]

In 2023, she became the godmother of MS Ambition, a cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line. [6] The first stop on the ship's maiden voyage was from Newcastle to Dundee, Robertson's birth place.

Competition record

Representing Great Britain
YearCompetitionLocationPositionEvent
1993
World Championships
2nd
Europe class
1998
2nd
Europe class
1999
3rd
Europe class
1999
European Championships
2nd
Europe class
2000
World Championships
2nd
Europe class
2000
Olympic Games
1st
Europe class
2004
1st
Yngling class
2007
World Championships
3rd
Yngling class

Honours and recognition

In recognition of her services to sailing, Robertson was named female World Sailor of the Year by the International Sailing Federation in 2000, and was appointed an MBE in 2000 and an OBE in 2005.

Personal life

Shirley married Jamie Boag in June 2006 with whom she has two children. They live in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.

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References

  1. ↑ "Profile". Shirley Robertson OBE. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  2. ↑ "Shirley Robertson | Team GB". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Shirley Robertson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016.
  4. ↑ "Podcast". Shirley Robertson OBE. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  5. ↑ "An interview with Shirley Robertson about her new sailing podcast". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson named Ambition's Godmother". Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson named Ambition's Godmother. Retrieved 1 September 2024.


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