Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON (AUS)

ISAF and Rolex are proud to announce the Nominees for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2008.

Well known faces from the ISAF Youth Worlds, this young team showed their intent at the 2008 470 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, where they picked up their first bronze medal of the year. Hitting the European graded event circuit, they posted some mixed results before once again making the results count where it mattered with another bronze at the ISAF Grade C1 European Championships in Italy.

But it wasn't bronze that this team was after when they got to Qingdao for the Olympic Sailing Competition. Gold was the colour they dreamed of and their win was convincing. One of just four crews who won a gold medal with no previous Olympic experience, RECHICHI and PARKINSON went into their Medal Race with an 18 point lead over their nearest rivals, the three time World Champions from the Netherlands.

They sailed a tactical Medal Race to ensure the Dutch team could not steal their gold medal away and crossed the finish line to secure an Australian 470 double for coach Victor KOVALENKO. At just 21 years old RECHICHI and PARKINSON were the youngest gold medallists at the Olympic Sailing Competition and look set for a bright future.

24 - Sail Melbourne International Regatta, Melbourne, AUS - ISAF Grade 1 - Jan 2008
3 - 470 World Championships, Melbourne, AUS - ISAF Grade W - Jan 2008
15 - Semaine Olympique Française, Hyères, FRA - ISAF Grade 1 - Apr 2008
9 - Delta Lloyd Regatta, Medemblik, NED - ISAF Grade 1 - May 2008
3 - 470 European Championships, Riva del Garda, ITA - ISAF Grade C1 - Jun 2008
1 - 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, Qingdao, CHN - ISAF Grade W - Aug 2008


They are up against...

Sarah AYTON, Sarah WEBB & Pippa WILSON (GBR) - Yngling Gold Medal 2008
Claire LEROY (FRA) - Match Racing Champion
Alessandra SENSINI (ITA) - First woman to win four Olympic medals in sailing
Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA) - Laser Radial Gold Medal 2008

Do our Aussie girls have a chance of winning the ISAF World Sailor of the Year gong?

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they totally deserve this award they have had such a great year coming from nearly nothing to being a major something.

must be something in the water in WA. they breed awesome 470 girls!

Tough field. The GBR girls would be my guess as to who will get it.

The winners have been announced!

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Rol ... Year/50747