In the history of the class no one has dominated quite like Belcher and the Australian has delivered 17 consecutive knockout blows stemming from November 2011.

Having been head and shoulders above the rest of the Men's 470 in the build-up to London 2012 with Malcolm Page the pair took a deserved gold medal in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain. Whilst Page stepped away from the boat, Belcher wasted little time in announcing a new campaign for 2016 with crew Will Ryan.

Success was immediate and the streak that started at eight wins from the Belcher and Page partnership turned to nine in December 2012 at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne.

Three victories flowed on Australian waters before the Belcher asserted himself at ISAF Sailing World Cup Palma and Hyères. It was business as usual at the Delta Lloyd Regatta and Open European Championship before history was made at the 2013 470 Worlds.

Belcher's trip to the top of the podium at the 470 Worlds in La Rochelle, France was his fourth successive World title, the first time the feat had ever been achieved in the class.

Winning over 60% of races he and Ryan have competed in, Worlds success increased his unbeaten run to 17 straight regattas.

Can anyone defeat the Australian in the build-up to Rio 2016? Only time will tell but Belcher's dominance is incredible.

Joining Belcher as a male nominee for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2013 are Francois Gabart (FRA), Johnny Heineken (USA), Paul Larsen (AUS) and Ian Williams (GBR).

View Mathew Belcher's (AUS) ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Nominee Page.

View a photo gallery.

The Voting
The winners are selected by the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world. The MNAs are now invited to vote for the male and female nominee they believe most deserves the Award.

The winners will be announced at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards presentation and dinner, taking place on Tuesday 12 November 2013. The venue for the event will be at the El Bander Hotel, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

Each winner will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece.