Shirley Robertson made history by becoming the first British woman to win two Olympic Gold Medals at consecutive Olympics: Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
Shirely Robertson: Olympic Medalist & Sailing Champion
Born 15th July 1968, Shirley Robertson started sailing at the age of 7 in a small dinghy built by her father. Robertson loved sailing instantly, and the sport helped strengthen her ability to focus and believe that you can achieve anything with hard work. After she graduated from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland in 1990, she focused on one goal: an Olympic gold medal.
Shirley Robertson won silver medals at the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Europe Class World Championships and competed in the 1992 Barcelona Games and 1996 Atlanta Games.
In 2000 at the Millennium Olympic Games in Sydney, Robertson led from the start, but was pushed hard by Margriet Matthysse of Holland. Dropping to 16th place in the penultimate race, Robertson had to finish in the top four to grab the gold. In the final race, she made her dream a reality by fighting for third place and becoming an Olympic champion.
In 2000 Shirley Robertson was voted ISAF World Female Sailor of the Year and awarded an MBE for her services to British sailing.
One year later, Shirley focused on a new challenge by switching to the Yngling class of sailing boat. Her team finished 14th for their first World Championships, but their determination and rapid improvement led the sailing team to finish third at the 2002 Olympic Test Event and win the 2003 Pre-Olympic regatta. Shirley Robertson was rewarded for her efforts by winning a historic second Gold Medal at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
From Sailing to Sports Journalism
After making history, Shirley Robertson turned to sports journalism by becoming a regular presenter for CNN MainSail in 2006 and presenting as a BBC Olympic Sailing commentator in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She also continued to be involved with the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) Sport Advisory Group.
During 2012, Robertson retained her role with LOCOG’s Sport Advisory Group throughout the London 2012 games and was once again back in her ringside seat as the BBC Olympic Sailing commentator in Weymouth.
Leading the International Advancement of Sailing
Shirley Robertson is also a member of the Scottish Institute of Sport which focuses on supporting the development of high performance sport in Scotland and creating the best competitive sailors. Robertson is also a sponsor of the Ellen MacArthur Trust, a charity which helps young people look beyond their cancer and using sailing to rebuild confidence.
Read about the record-breaking Sailing Champion Tracy Edwards.
