Olympic Sailing on the Laser Tom Slingsby

Tom Slingsby is the top Laser sailor in the world, and is now sailing in the Beijing Olympics.

Tom was born on September 5, 1984, and is a Laser sailor from the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia. Tom is the 2007 world champion in the Laser Radial class and ranked number one in the Laser event going into the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Tom had a promising tennis career ahead but found sailing more to his liking and cut tennis out at 15. Living by the water on the Central Coast of NSW, Tom Slingsby is from a sailing family and first remembers sailing competitively at eight “I’ve looked up to many people along the way. Robert Scheidt, because he’s a great sailor and keeps proving everyone wrong and Michael Blackburn because he’s improved my sailing, I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”

Happy to finish school with the blessing of his parents, Tom opted to sail full time and coaches for pocket money when time provides.

Tom Slingsby scored his first major win at the 2000 Laser Radial Nationals and lots more followed. But Tom lifted his game another notch in 2005 with Laser Olympic class wins at Hyeres and the Holland Regatta.

However disappointment followed. The year was spent working towards a best result at the Worlds for which he was ranked a top three favourite. But on arrival in Brazil a wrong medical diagnoses by local doctors left him sidelined. Tom Slingsby watched as Robert Scheidt won yet another title and Brendan Casey his then rival for the Aussie Olympic place finished sixth.

Now is Tom’s chance to prove he is truly the best in the world!

Check out this is a great interview with Tom Slingsby of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team hours before he races in his first Olympic Games: Sailor in the Spotlight Interview - Tom Slingsby

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