Russell Coutts
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
 Russell Coutts |
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Competitor for  New Zealand |
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| Men's Sailing | ||
| Summer Olympics | ||
| Gold | Los Angeles 1984 | Finn Class |
Sir Russell Coutts, KNZM, CBE (born 1 March 1962 in Wellington New Zealand) is a competitive sailor. His achievements include a Gold medal in the Finn Class in the 1984 Olympic Games, winning the America's Cup four times, the ISAF World Youth championships, three World Match Racing Championships, numerous international match race wins and IOR, IMS and One Design World Championship victories. He has a perfect record in America's Cup racing with 20 wins to 0 losses.
In New Zealand he has been honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the Knight Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit and has twice been the International Yacht Racing Union’s World Sailor of the Year. He holds an impressive record in the America's Cup, with 14 wins and 2 losses since 1995 winning four America's Cups (1995, 2000, 2003, 2010).
In 2005, he designed – together with Slovenian designer Andrej Justin – a new boat called the RC 44; a high performance one design racer created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC 44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.
In July 2007, Coutts was named CEO and Skipper of BMW Oracle Racing, sponsored by Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), the United States Challenger to the 2010 America's Cup. He was involved in the pre-match litigation between the challengers Golden Gate Yacht Club and Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), in which the court decided that the GGYC was the rightful Challenger of Record. Cup Defender SNG's team was Alinghi. Coutts' yacht USA beat the defending yacht Alinghi 5 by considerable margins in both races.[1][2] Most observers stated that USA 17's rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage.[3]
His son is New Zealand celebrity television personality Grayson Coutts[4][5][6][7]
Contents |
[edit] Sailing career
- 1981 – ISAF World Youth Champion / 1st
- 1984 – 1984 Olympic Games / Los Angeles / Finn Class / Gold Medal
- 1992 – World Champion / Match Racing
- 1993 – World Champion / Match Racing
– Admiral's Cup / "Pinta" / 1st - 1994 – World Champion / Match Racing
- 1995 – 1995 America’s Cup / Skipper of Black Magic (Challenger) / San Diego / Winner (37 victories, 1 loss)
- 1996 – World Champion / Match Racing
- 2000 – 2000 America’s Cup / Team New Zealand (Defender) / Auckland / Winner (5 to 0) – Helmsman
- 2001 – World Champion / 12 metre JI / Cowes
– World Champion / Farr 40 / Southampton, UK - 2003 – 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup / Alinghi / Auckland / 1st – Helmsman
– 2003 America's Cup / Alinghi (Challenger) / Auckland / Winner (5 to 0) – Helmsman - 2006 – Bol d'Or Rolex / Decision 35 / Team Banque Gonet / Switzerland / 1st
– World Champion / Farr 40 / Vincenzo Onorato Team / Newport, U.S. - 2007 – World Champion / TP 52 / Team Artemis
- 2008 – Cagliari RC 44 Cup, Match Racing / RC 44 / BMW ORACLE Racing / Cagliari, Italy / 1st
– TP 52 Audi MedCup / TP 52 / Team USA 17 / 1st
– Malcesine SLAM Cup, Match Racing / RC 44 / BMW ORACLE Racing / Malcesine, Italy / 1st - 2010 2010 America's Cup / BMW Oracle Racing (Challenger) / Valencia / Winner (2 to 0) – Team Chief Executive Officer
[edit] Awards
- 1984 – New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year
- 1985 – Member of the British Empire, MBE
- 1994 – Silbernes Lorbeerblatt, German National Award
- 1995 – Commander of the British Empire, CBE
- 1995 – Sperry World Sailor of the Year
- 1995 – Halberg Award
- 1995 – ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award
- 1996 – America's Cup Hall of Fame
- 1996 – World Trophy for Oceania
- 2000 – Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- 2003 – ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.americascup.com/en/actualite/news/first-blood-to-usa-19-2362
- ^ http://www.americascup.com/en/actualite/news/usa-win-33rd-america-s-cup-match-19-2827
- ^ http://www.tdg.ch/actu/sports/demonstration-puissance-oracle-brise-reve-alinghi-2010-02-12
- ^ Meng-Yee, Carolyne (14 March 2010). "Rendezvous on the menu". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10631927. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ Tay, Karen (29 November 2009). "Baking: Latest front in cook-off wars". The Sunday Star-Times. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/3106419/Baking-Latest-front-in-cook-off-wars. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ Meikle, Hayden (16 February 2010). "Yachting: Friend says Coutts will not change". Otago Daily Times. http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/yachting/93630/yachting-friend-says-coutts-will-not-change. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ http://www.nzbaker.co.nz/DomPost221209.pdf?c_id=3&objectid=10537298
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Russell Coutts |
- www.russellcoutts.com – Official Russell Coutts's website
- www.rc44.com – Official RC44 Class Association's website
- www.transpac52.org – Official Transpac 52's Website
- bmworacleracing.com – Official BMW ORACLE Racing's Website
- www.americascup.com – Official America's Cup's Website
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- 1962 births
- Team New Zealand sailors
- Oracle Racing sailors
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Former students of Otago Boys' High School
- Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- Living people
- New Zealand yacht racers
- Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand
- Olympic sailors of New Zealand
- Sailors at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Sports players and officials awarded knighthoods
- University of Auckland alumni
- Olympic medalists in sailing
- Alinghi sailors
