Ben Ainslie facts for kids
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Ainslie in 2021
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality |  United Kingdom |
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| Born | 5 February 1977 Macclesfield, Cheshire, England |
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| Weight | 90 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sailing career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class(es) | Finn, Laser, Optimist, America's Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Sir Ben Ainslie (born February 5, 1977) is a famous British sailor. He is known as the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals in five Olympics in a row, from 1996 to 2012. Four of these were gold medals! Ben is one of only three sailors to win medals in five different Olympic Games. He is also the second sailor ever to win four gold medals.
Ben is the leader of INEOS Britannia, a sailing team that competes in the America's Cup. He also leads the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. He supports the 1851 Trust, a charity that helps young people learn about sailing and science.
Contents
Early Life and Sailing Start
Ben Ainslie was born in Macclesfield, England. His dad, Roddy, was also a sailor who raced around the world in 1973. Ben learned to sail at Restronguet Creek in Cornwall. He started sailing at age eight and competed for the first time at age ten. His first international race was in Japan in 1989 when he was twelve. He finished 73rd in that race.
Olympic Sailing Journey
Ben Ainslie has an amazing Olympic record.
- He won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.
- He then won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Both of these wins were in the Laser boat class.
- For the 2004 Olympics, he switched to a bigger boat called the Finn. He won gold again!
- He repeated his gold medal wins in the Finn class at the 2008 and 2012 Games.
His gold medal-winning Laser and Finn boats are now on display at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.
On May 19, 2012, Ben was the first person to carry the Olympic torch in the UK. He started the 70-day tour at Land's End. He was also chosen to carry the flag for Great Britain at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
World Championship Wins
Ben Ainslie has won many World Championships throughout his career.
- 1993: Laser Radial World Championships
- 1995: IYRU Youth Sailing World Championships
- 1998: Laser World Championships
- 1999: Laser World Championships
- 2002: Finn Gold Cup
- 2003: ISAF Sailing World Championships (also the Finn Gold Cup)
- 2004: Finn Gold Cup
- 2005: Finn Gold Cup
- 2008: Finn Gold Cup
- 2010: ISAF Open Match Racing World Championship
- 2012: Finn Gold Cup
In 2011, at the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Ben was in a good position to win. However, he was disqualified for threatening a photographer. Ben felt the photographer's boat caused waves that stopped him from passing another sailor.
America's Cup Challenges
The America's Cup is a very famous and old sailing race. Ben Ainslie has been a big part of several teams trying to win it.
Oracle Team USA (2013)
For the 2013 America's Cup, Ben joined Oracle Team USA. He became their tactician, helping to make important race decisions. His team was losing badly at first. But with Ben's help, Oracle Team USA made an amazing comeback. They beat Team New Zealand in San Francisco on September 25, 2013, winning the America's Cup!
Ben Ainslie Racing (2015-2017)
In 2012, Ben started his own team called Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR). His team competed in different races to prepare for the America's Cup. They won the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series. However, they were knocked out in the semi-finals of the competition to decide who would challenge for the 2017 America's Cup.
INEOS TEAM UK (2018-2021)
In 2018, Ben's team changed its name to INEOS TEAM UK. They worked with INEOS, a big company. They built two new 75-foot boats to race in the 36th America's Cup in New Zealand in 2021.
Their race boat was named 'Britannia'. After some early struggles, the team made changes to their boat. They got help from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. INEOS Team UK then did very well in the qualifying races, winning many times. This earned them a spot in the Prada Cup Final. This was the furthest a British team had gone in the America's Cup challenger series in a long time.
In the Prada Cup Final, INEOS Team UK raced against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli from Italy. Luna Rossa sailed very well and won the final, which meant they would challenge Team New Zealand for the America's Cup.
INEOS Britannia (2021-2024)
After the 2021 America's Cup, Ben's team, now called INEOS Britannia, became the official challenger for the 37th America's Cup. This race was held in Barcelona in 2024. The team used the same type of boat, the AC75. This was the first time a British team had challenged for the America's Cup three times in a row since 1930.
On October 4, 2024, INEOS Britannia won the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selections Series. They beat Luna Rossa and earned the right to challenge Emirates Team New Zealand for the America's Cup! This was the first time a UK team had challenged for the America's Cup since 1964.
In the final match, INEOS Britannia raced against Team New Zealand's boat, 'Taihoro'. The races took place from October 12-19. INEOS Britannia lost the series 7-2. However, they were the first UK challenger to win any races in an America's Cup match since 1934.
On January 23, 2025, it was announced that Ben Ainslie would be leaving INEOS Britannia. He will now lead his own team, Athena Pathway, to challenge for the 38th America's Cup.
Other Sailing Achievements
- In December 2010, Ben won the World Match Racing Tour. This made him the 2010 ISAF Match Racing Champion.
- In 2014, he competed in the Extreme Sailing Series. This helped him prepare for the America's Cup. In this series, he raced a 40-foot multi-hull boat.
Personal Life
Ben Ainslie lives in London. He is a member of the Sea View Yacht Club and an honorary member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. He supports the football team Chelsea.
In 2014, Ben married Georgie Thompson, a former TV presenter. They have a daughter named Bellatrix, born in 2016, and a son named Fox, born in 2021.
Awards and Honours
Ben Ainslie has received many awards for his amazing sailing career:
- 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002: British Yachtsman of the Year
- 1998, 2002, 2008, 2012: International Sailing Federation World Sailor of the Year (the highest award in sailing)
- 2001: Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- 2005: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 2009: Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- 2013: Appointed Knight Bachelor (meaning he is now called "Sir Ben Ainslie")
He has also received honorary degrees from several universities. He was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2008, 2012, and 2013.
