Shirley Robertson
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| Born | 15 July 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sailing career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class | Europe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Island Sailing Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Shirley Ann Robertson, OBE DL (born 15 July 1968) is a British sailor and Olympic gold medallist. She is the first British woman to win Olympic gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
Sailing Career
Robertson's first major international breakthrough came in the 1998 World Championships, where she won a silver medal in the Europe class. This set the stage for her Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she competed in the Europe class, finishing in fourth place.
Olympic Games
| Year | Position | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Europe class |
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| 1996 | Europe class |
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| 2000 | Europe class |
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| 2004 | Yngling class |
Robertson made a significant breakthrough during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where she won her first gold medal in the Europe class. This victory marked a significant moment in British sailing history, as it was the first time a British woman had won an Olympic gold in sailing.[2]
Four years later, at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Robertson secured her second gold medal, this time in the Yngling class, alongside crew-mates Sarah Webb and Sarah Ayton. This achievement made her the first British woman to win gold medals at two consecutive Olympic Games.[3]
World Championships
Post-Olympic Media Career
From 2006 to 2019 she presenter of Mainsail, a monthly CNN program devoted to the sport of sailing. Since 2008 she has been also a commentator for the BBC's sailing coverage at the Summer Olympics, commentating from five Olympic sailing regattas. She also has done a number of events hosting World Sailor of the Year Awards on multiple occasions.[7]
Robertson is also part of the commentary team for the prestigious America's Cup, commentating from Auckland, New Zealand and Barcelona, Spain for the 36th and 37th editions of the world's oldest international sporting trophy.
Robertson was responsible for appointing one of the seven teenagers to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She nominated upcoming youth sailor Callum Airlie.[8] During the games, she became a commentator for the BBC, commentating on the sailing from Weymouth.
In 2019, Robertson launched her own podcast series: Shirley Robertson's Sailing Podcast which sees Robertson sit down for in depth and personal interviews with some of the leading figures from the sport of sailing.[9][10]
In 2023, she became the godmother of MS Ambition, a cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line.[11] The first stop on the ship's maiden voyage was from Newcastle to Dundee, Robertson's birth place.[citation needed]
In 2024 Shirley Robertson took up the roll of General Manager of the SuperYacht Racing Association, SYRA. Robertson herself has been racing on the superyacht circuit for over a decade.[citation needed]
Honours and recognition
Robertson was named female World Sailor of the Year by World Sailing in 2000, and was appointed an MBE in 2000 followed by an OBE in 2005 for services to Sailing.[citation needed] She was awarded an honorary MSc by the University of Chichester in 2001.[12]
