Ben Ainslie
- Date of birth:
- 5th February 1977
- Star sign:
- Aquarius
- Place of birth:
- Macclesfield, UK
- Current Hometown:
- Lymington
- Nickname:
- Beano
Ben Ainslie is Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor ever, with three gold and one silver medal. Gold at London 2012 would see him become the most successful Olympicsailor of all-time, eclipsing Great Dane Paul Elvstrom's current record offour golds, won between 1948 and 1960.
Ben's first international competition was the 1989 Optimist World Championships in Japan where he placed 37th, but by the age of 16 Ben was Laser Radial World Champion.
He made his Olympic debut aged 19 taking silver in the Laser class at Atlanta 1996 before turning the tables on Brazilian great Robert Scheidt in Sydney four years later to claim his first gold. A move up to the heavyweight dinghy Finn class for Athens 2004 resulted in the same outcome, before victory at Beijing 2008 saw Ainslie surpass Rodney Pattisson’s previous best British Olympic sailing haul of two golds, one silver.
Ainslie was promoted to CBE in the 2009 New Year Honours, following the Beijing Games.
The three-time ISAF World Sailor of the Year has won the Finn World Championship a record six times, and in 2011 Ainslie claimed victory at both Skandia Sail for Gold and the Olympic Test Event in Weymouth and Portland.
Ben's Olympic Medals
| Olympic Year & Venue | Class | Medal |
| Beijing 2008 | Finn | Gold |
| Athens 2004 | Finn | Gold |
| Sydney 2000 | Laser | Gold |
| Atlanta 1996 | Laser | Silver |
Ben's Q&A Session
| First boat sailed and where? | Folkboat, Holyhead |
| Who got you into sailing? | My parents |
| Favourite boat? | Finn |
| Biggest influence in your career to date? | My father |
| Your worst moment in sailing? | Losing the Laser European Championships by doing the wrong course 1997 |
| Your best moment in sailing? | Winning Gold in the Sydney 2000 Olympics |
| Best sailing venue in the UK? | Falmouth |
| Best sailing venue in the world? | Sydney Harbour |
| Most annoying rule in the sailing rule book? | Rule 42 - pumping rule |
| If you weren't a professional sailor what else would you be? | F1 driver, in my dreams! |
| How do you progress from a club sailor to an Olympic class sailor? | Train hard, focus and have a plan |
| What are your greatest passions outside of sailing? | Golf, movies, reading. |
| Most expensive sailing accident? | Smashing two 100ft super Maxis together and doing over 100000 USD worth of damage. |
| What football club you support? | Chelsea |
| Do you follow any other sports? | F1, golf and tennis |
| Any heroes? | Russell Coutts, Paul Elvstrom. |
| What other sports do you play? | Football, Golf |
| What would you love to do but never have the time or money for it? | Golf |
| Worst habit? | Being late for meetings! |
| What word or phrase most depicts your personality? | Focused |
| Do you have any lucky charms or rituals? | Yes |
| Whats your greatest fear or phobia? | Air crashes |
| Name 3 things that are always in your shopping trolley? | Milk, eggs, wine |
| What was the last book you read? | New York by Edward Rutherford |
| What makes you angry? | Queuing |
| Dream holiday? | Being at home |
| What's better about football than sailing? | The money |
| Where do you keep your Olympic medals? | Good question............ |