Australian Team Profile
Australia has enjoyed plenty of success in sailing and will be out to add to its already impressive medal tally in Beijing with many world champions in the team.
Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby are Australia's best chance for a gold medal. Thirty-seven-year-old Bundock will be contesting his third Olympics in the tornado event and already has a silver medal to his name, while partner Ashby will be making his Olympic debut.
Bundock and Ashby are currently ranked No.1 in the world in the tornado class and they have excellent form leading into the Olympics having won three World Championship events in 2008.
Current laser world champion Tom Slingsby is also a massive chance to medal. The 23-year-old will be making his Olympic debut, but he will be one of the favourites to take out the event after winning the 2008 World Laser Championships in Terrigal, Australia earlier this year.
Malcolm Page and Nathan Wilmot are also an excellent chance to medal, having just captured their fifth World Championship crown in the 470 class. They represented Australia in Athens 2004, but finished a disappointing 12th.
For the women, Sarah Blanck is Australia's best hope of a medal. The 31-year-old finished fourth in Athens and has two first-place finishes in 2008, at the ISAF Regatta Laser Radical in Holland and at the Hyeres Regatta Laser Radical in France.
The 2008 Olympic sailing competition will take place at the Qingdao Sailing Centre some 550 kilometres from Beijing and events will begin on August 9.
Despite missing out on medals in Athens 2004, Australia has had plenty of success in Olympic sailing, amassing five gold, three silver and eight bronze medals. Two of these golds were achieved in Sydney in 2000.
Previous Sailing Medallists:
Gold:
King Tom and Mark Turnball (Double Handed Dinghy) 2000
Jenny Armstrong and Belinda Stowell (Double Handed Dinghy) 2000
Silver:
Darren Bundock and John Forbes (Tornado) 2000
Bronze:
Michael Blackburn (Laser) 2000
Australian Olympic Sailing Team:
Men:
Glenn Ashby - Tornado
Ben Austin - 49er
Darren Bundock - Tornado
Iain Murray - Star
Anthony Nossiter - Finn
Nathan Outteridge - 49er
Malcolm Page - 470
Andrew Palfrey - Star
Tom Slingsby - Laser One Handed Dinghy
Nathan Wilmot - 470
Women:
Sarah Blanck - Laser Radial One Person Dinghy
Jessica Crisp - RS:X Windsurfer
Angela Farrell - Yngling
Karyn Gojnich - Yngling
Tessa Parkinson - 470
Elise Rechichi - 470
Krystal Weir - Yngling