Ben Ainslie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sir
Ben Ainslie
CBE

Ainslie in 2024
Personal information
Nationality	United Kingdom
Born	(1977-02-05) 5 February 1977 (age 48) Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Weight	90 kg
Sailing career
Class(es)	Finn, Laser, Optimist, America's Cup
Medal record Sailing Representing  Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 1 0 Olympic Class World Championship 8 0 3 Other Sailing World 3 1 1 Total 15 2 4 Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Laser Gold 2004 Athens Finn Gold 2008 Beijing Finn Gold 2012 London Finn Silver 1996 Atlanta Laser World Championships Gold 1993 Takapuna Laser Radial Gold 1995 Hamilton Laser (Youth) Gold 1998 Laser Gold 1999 Melbourne Laser Gold 2002 Athens Finn Gold 2003 Cádiz Finn Gold 2004 Rio de Janeiro Finn Gold 2005 Moscow Finn Gold 2008 Melbourne Finn Gold 2010 Tour Match Racing Gold 2012 Falmouth Finn Bronze 1996 Simon's Town Laser Bronze 1997 Algarrobo Laser Bronze 2000 Cancun Laser Bronze 2009 Brighton Etchells

Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie (born 5 February 1977) is a British sailor. He is known as the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five Olympics in a row, starting in 1996. This included four gold medals from 2000 to 2012.

Ben Ainslie is one of only three men to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing. He is also the second sailor to win four gold medals. He leads Athena Sports Group, which includes his roles as Team Principal, CEO, and Skipper of Athena Racing. He is also the CEO of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. Ben Ainslie supports the 1851 Trust, a charity that helps young people learn about sailing and science.

Early Life and Education

Ben Ainslie was born in Macclesfield, England. His father, Roddy, was also a sailor who captained a boat in the first Whitbread Round The World Race in 1973. Ben went to Terra Nova School and Truro School. He also studied at Peter Symonds College in Winchester.

Sailing Career Highlights

Ben Ainslie started sailing when he was eight years old. He first competed at age ten. His first international competition was in Japan in 1989. He was twelve years old and placed 73rd in the Optimist world championships.

Olympic Achievements

Ben Ainslie has an amazing record at the Olympics:

• Silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in the Laser boat class.
• Gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in the Laser boat class.
• Gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics in the Finn boat class.
• Gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Finn boat class.
• Gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Finn boat class.

Ben Ainslie first sailed the Laser boat. Later, he moved to the heavier Finn boat. Both his gold medal-winning Laser and Finn boats are now on display. You can see them at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

On 19 May 2012, Ben Ainslie was the first person to carry the Olympic torch in the UK. He started the 70-day tour of the United Kingdom at Land's End. He was chosen to carry the flag for the Great Britain team at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.

World Championship Wins

Ben Ainslie has won many World Championship titles:

• 1st place in the 1993 Laser Radial World Championships.
• 1st place in the 1995 IYRU Youth Sailing World Championships in Hamilton, Bermuda.
• 1st place in the 1998 Laser World Championships.
• 1st place in the 1999 Laser World Championships.
• 1st place in the 2002 Finn Gold Cup.
• 1st place in the 2003 ISAF Sailing World Championships, which was also the Finn Gold Cup.
• 1st place in the 2004 Finn Gold Cup.
• 1st place in the 2005 Finn Gold Cup.
• 1st place in the 2008 Finn Gold Cup.
• 1st place in the 2010 ISAF Open Match Racing World Championship.
• 1st place in the 2012 Finn Gold Cup.

Other World Championship Results

Ben Ainslie also achieved other notable results in World Championships:

• 73rd place in the 1989 Optimist World Championship in Japan.
• 109th place in the 1991 Optimist World Championship in Greece.
• 37th place in the 1992 Optimist World Championship in Argentina.
• 2nd place in the 1994 IYRU Youth Sailing World Championships in Marathon.
• 43rd place in the 1994 Laser World Championship.
• 21st place in the 1995 Laser World Championship.
• 3rd place in the 1996 Laser World Championship.
• 3rd place in the 1997 Laser World Championship.
• 3rd place in the 2000 Laser World Championship.
• 3rd place in the 2009 Etchells World Championship.
• 11th place in the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, which was the Finn World Championship.

At the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Ben Ainslie was in a strong position to win. However, he was disqualified for an incident with a photographer.

Other Important Races

• 1st place in the 1993 Laser Radial European Championship in Greece.
• 1st place in the 2006 Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup – Maxi – Alfa Romeo.
• 1st place in the 2008 Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup – Mini Maxi – Alfa Romeo 3.
• 1st place in the 2009 Transpac Race with a new monohull record time.
• 4th place in the 2010 Team Origin – TP52 Audi Medcup.
• 1st place in the 2013 Round the Island Race with a record time.
• 1st place in the 2015/2016 Americas Cup World Series with Land Rover BAR.

America's Cup Challenges

Sir Ben Ainslie with fans in 2014

Ben Ainslie has been a key part of several teams trying to win the America's Cup, one of the oldest and most famous sailing races.

Team New Zealand

In 2005, Ainslie worked as a tactician for the New Zealand-based Team New Zealand. They were preparing to challenge for the 32nd America's Cup. He later decided to focus on improving his match racing skills.

Team Origin

Ainslie led a British team called Team Origin to challenge for the Cup. However, this team later withdrew from the competition.

Oracle Team USA

For the 2013 America's Cup, Ainslie joined Oracle Team USA as a tactician. He helped the team make an incredible comeback. Oracle Team USA beat Team New Zealand in the final race in San Francisco on 25 September 2013.

Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR)

In 2012, Ben Ainslie started his own team, Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR). The team competed in the 2011–13 America's Cup World Series. They also raced in the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series. His team won the 2015–16 America's Cup World Series. However, they were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger's Trophy.

INEOS TEAM UK

In 2018, Ainslie's team was renamed INEOS TEAM UK. This was a partnership with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The team built two new 75-foot foiling monohull yachts. They competed in the 36th America's Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2021.

On 21 October 2020, Ben and INEOS TEAM UK launched their race boat. They named the AC75 boat 'Britannia'. After some challenges, the team made changes to their boat. They received support from the INEOS-sponsored Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

INEOS Team UK performed very well in the Prada Cup. They won all their races in the Round Robin phase. This secured their spot in the Prada Cup Final, which started on 13 February 2021. This was the furthest a British team had gone in the competition in a long time.

In the Prada Cup Finals, INEOS Team UK raced against Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. Luna Rossa won the first five races. INEOS Team UK won one race, but Luna Rossa then won two more. Luna Rossa won the Prada Cup overall. They then went on to challenge Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America's Cup Match.

On 17 March 2021, after Emirates Team New Zealand defended their title, Ben Ainslie's team issued a challenge. This made Royal Yacht Squadron Racing Ltd and their renamed team INEOS Britannia the Challenger of Record for the 37th America's Cup.

INEOS Britannia

The challenge agreed that the 37th America's Cup would use the AC75 boats. It also included rules about nationality and reducing costs. The America's Cup was raced in Barcelona. This was the first time a British team had challenged in three America's Cup cycles in a row since 1930.

On 4 October 2024, the yacht Britannia from INEOS Britannia won the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selections Series. They defeated Luna Rossa with a 7–4 score. This meant they would challenge Emirates Team New Zealand for the 37th America's Cup. This was the first time the UK had challenged the America's Cup since 1964.

The final match was between Taihoro (New Zealand) and Britannia (UK). The races were held from October 12-19, 2024. INEOS Britannia lost the series 7-2. However, they were the first UK challenger to score points in an America's Cup match since 1934.

Athena Racing

On 23 January 2025, it was announced that Ben Ainslie had changed sponsors. He continued his America's Cup journey as the Challenger of Record. His team was renamed Athena Racing.

World Match Racing Tour

In December 2010, Ben Ainslie finished first in the World Match Racing Tour. He became the 2010 ISAF Match Racing Champion.

Extreme Sailing Series

In January 2014, it was announced that Ainslie would compete in the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series. This was part of his training for the America's Cup. He raced a 40-foot multi-hull boat in this eight-race event.

Personal Life

Ben Ainslie lives in London. He is a member of the Sea View Yacht Club. He is also an honorary member of the Royal Yacht Squadron. He supports Chelsea Football Club.

In August 2014, Ainslie was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter. The letter expressed hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom.

On 20 December 2014, Ben Ainslie married Georgie Thompson. She was a presenter for Sky Sports News. They have a daughter, Bellatrix, born in 2016. They also have a son, Fox, born in 2021.

Awards and Honours

Ben Ainslie has received many awards for his sailing achievements:

• 1995: British Yachtsman of the Year. He also won this award in 1999, 2000, and 2002.
• 1998: International Sailing Federation World Sailor of the Year. He won this again in 2002, 2008, and 2012. He was also nominated in 2004 and 2011.
• 2001: Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to yachting.
• 2002: Received an honorary degree from the University of Chichester.
• 2005: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to sailing.
• 2005: Received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Exeter.
• 2007: Received an honorary Doctor of Sport from Southampton Solent University.
• 2008: Nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was also nominated in 2012 and 2013.
• 2009: Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to sport.
• 2013: Appointed Knight Bachelor for his services to sailing.

See also

In Spanish: Ben Ainslie para niños