Iain Percy
- Date of birth:
- 21 March 1976
- Star sign:
- Aries
- Place of birth:
- Southampton, UK
- Current Hometown:
- London
- Nickname:
- Perce
Iain Percy OBE is one of just three British men ever to have won two Olympic sailing golds at different Games.
Having only turned professional two years earlier, Percy’s won his first Olympic title aged 24 at Sydney 2000, after dominating in the Finn heavyweight dinghy class. He switched to the technical double-handed Star keelboat the following year and campaigned for Athens 2004 with Steve Mitchell, but the pair disappointingly finished sixth in Greece.
In January 2007, Percy invited lifelong best mate Andrew Simpson to crew for him. The pair provided an early glimpse of what was to come with Worlds bronze that summer but it was in Beijing where everything fell into place as they produced a heroic last race display to claim an emotional gold.
In the build-up to the London 2012, Percy has claimed a place on the podium at all of the 2012 ISAF World Cup events, including gold at the Hyeres French World Cup regatta, and won 2012 Worlds silver.
Iain's Olympic Medals
| Olympic Year & Venue | Class | Medal |
| Beijing 2008 | Star | Gold |
| Sydney 2000 | Finn | Gold |
Iain's Q&A Session
| First boat sailed and where? | Skipper 14, Norfolk Broads |
| Who got you into sailing? | My family all started together when I was six
|
| Favourite boat? | Finn |
| Biggest influence in your career to date? | David Howlett |
| The worst moment in your sailing career? | 6th place in the 2004 Athens Olympics |
| The best moment in your sailing career? | Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics alongside my sailing partner Bart |
| Best sailing venue in the UK? | Stokes Bay |
| Best sailing venue in the World? | Sydney |
| Most annoying rule in the sailing rule book? | Rule 42 - pumping |
| If you weren’t a professional sailor what else would you be? | Richer! |
| How do you progress from a club sailor to an Olympic class sailor? | Hours on the water |
| What are your greatest passions outside of sailing? | Rude question ;-) |
| Most expensive sailing accident? | Myself and Ben Ainslie managed to break mast, sail, boom, rudder and put a hole in the deck of a laser 5000 on our first sail together…hopefully that’s not a sign for the future! |
| Football club you support? | Saints |
| What other sports do you play? | No, I’m too old ! |
| What would you love to do but never have the time or money for it? | Go to the Poles |
| Worst habit? | Ermmm....... |
| What word or phrase most depicts your personality? | “Make it succeed” |
| If you were a pantomime character – who would it be? | I’d like to say Robin Hood, but at the moment…Friar Tuck! |
| What’s your greatest fear or phobia? | Failure |
| Favourite reality show? | Don’t do TV |
| Name 3 things that are always in your shopping trolley? | ............ Or shopping |
| What was the last book you read? | Prisoner in Tehran |
| What makes you angry? | Unnecessary poverty |
| Dream holiday? | Trekking from Buenos Aires to Santiago over the Andes. |
| What better about football than sailing? | The pay |
| Where do you keep your Olympic medals? | My parents have them! |