Tom Slingsby has been named Rolex World Sailor of the Year for the third time, cementing his place as one of his sport’s all-time greats. This award comes after his induction into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame last month.
Tom has won a plethora of awards, including an Olympic gold medal, America’s Cup win, multiple world titles in the Laser and Moth classes, and line honours in the Middle Sea Race and the Sydney to Hobart Race. More recently he has proven a pretty deft hand on the wheel in the fast foiling Sail GP and Americas Cup boats which are tad faster than the Lasers he grew up with.
None of this fame or success comes easy to anyone. Tom’s desire to achieve at the highest level grew as a teenager when he watched the boats compete on Sydney Harbour during the 2000 Olympic Games.
In an interview with Rolex following his award Tom said “When I decided I wanted to be a professional sailor, there was not really a career path”
“Only the top 1 per cent of sailors were able to make a career, so I knew then I had to be one of the very best in the world. Every single day, whether it was 35 knots* and pouring rain, or freezing cold, I would say to myself ‘no one else is training today but I will because this is the dedication and passion it takes to reach the top.”
We know there are young sailors in our class who can take inspiration from Tom’s success and ideals and who may one day match or even exceed his achievements.