Shirley Robertson

Last updated

Shirley Robertson
Personal information
Born (1968-07-15) 15 July 1968 (age 57)
Dundee, Scotland
Sailing career
Class Europe
ClubIsland Sailing Club
Medal record
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 Olympic gold medals at consecutive Olympic 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]

Sailing 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.

Olympic Games

Representing Great Britain
YearPositionEventLocation
1992
9th
Europe class
1996
4th
Europe class
2000
1st
Europe class
2004
1st
Yngling class

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]

World Championships

PosYearRegattaEventClassLocationNotes
81987 IYRU World Women's Sailing Championships FemaleILCA
181990Female Europe class
361992Female Europe class|-
2nd
1993 Europe World Championships Female Europe class
161994Female Europe class
131995Female Europe class
41997Female Europe class
2nd
1998Female Europe class
3rd
1999
Female Europe class
2nd
2000
Female Europe class
142001 Yngling World Championship Open Yngling Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Craig Mitchell  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Samantha Davies  (GBR) [4]
162002Female Yngling Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Ayton  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Inga Leask  (GBR)
72003Female Yngling Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Ayton  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Webb  (GBR)
122003Open Yngling Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Ayton  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Webb  (GBR)
162004Female Yngling Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Ayton  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Sarah Webb  (GBR)
3rd
2007Female Yngling Cascais, Portugal Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Lucy Macgregor  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Annie Lush  (GBR)
8th2008Female Yngling Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Lucy Macgregor  (GBR)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Annie Lush  (GBR)
51999ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship Female J/22 Genoa, Italy [5]
42000Female Sonar St. Petersberg, USA [6]
4th2010 Extreme 40 World Championship Open

Post-Olympic Media Career

From 2006 to 2019 she presenter of Mainsail, a monthly CNN program devoted to the sport of sailing. Since 2008 she has been also a commentator for the BBC's sailing coverage at the Summer Olympics, commentating from five Olympic sailing regattas. She also has done a number of events hosting World Sailor of the Year Awards on multiple occasions. [7]

Robertson is also part of the commentary team for the prestigious America's Cup, commentating from Auckland, New Zealand and Barcelona, Spain for the 36th and 37th editions of the world's oldest international sporting trophy.

Robertson was responsible for appointing one of the seven teenagers to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She nominated upcoming youth sailor Callum Airlie. [8] 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. [9] [10]

In 2023, she became the godmother of MS Ambition, a cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line. [11] The first stop on the ship's maiden voyage was from Newcastle to Dundee, Robertson's birth place.[ citation needed ]

In 2024 Shirley Robertson took up the roll of General Manager of the SuperYacht Racing Association, SYRA. Robertson herself has been racing on the superyacht circuit for over a decade.[ citation needed ]

Honours and recognition

Robertson was named female World Sailor of the Year by World Sailing in 2000, and was appointed an MBE in 2000 followed by an OBE in 2005 for services to Sailing.[ citation needed ] She was awarded an honorary MSc by the University of Chichester in 2001. [12]

Personal life

Shirley married Irish businessman Jamie Boag [13] who she has twins Killian and Annabel with. [14] [15] She now lives with her longterm partner, documentary cameraman Tim Butt in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight.[ citation needed ]

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. "Sam Davies took time out from her Mini campaign to sail with Shirley Robertson at last week's Yngling Worlds in Newport, RI | the Daily Sail".
  5. "Search wj22". Archived from the original on 13 October 1999.
  6. "St. Petersburg Yacht Club Request Error (404)". Archived from the original on 4 December 2000.
  7. "CNN shelves Shirley and Mainsail". 26 March 2019.
  8. "Callum Airlie lights Olympic Cauldron".
  9. "Podcast". Shirley Robertson OBE. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  10. "An interview with Shirley Robertson about her new sailing podcast". www.sail-world.com. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  11. "Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson named Ambition's Godmother". Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson named Ambition's Godmother. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. "Graduation". University of Chichester. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  13. "Romance under sail". 13 March 2005.
  14. [Happy New Year from Team Shirley Robertson Happy New Year from Team Shirley Robertson].{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. "Olympic Gold medallist, Shirley Robertson, gave birth to twins yesterday | the Daily Sail".