Less than 100 days now to the 2012 Olympics.
Things were a little different 104 years ago at the 1908 Olympics in England. One of the classes in sailing was the 7 metre class. The photo above is of a 7 metre. In the 1908 Olympics there was only one yacht entered in the 7 metre class. Three races were scheduled but as there was only yacht entered, only two races were sailed.
There were four sailors on the victorious (British of course) yacht. The skipper was Charles James Rivett-Carnac who, at the age of 55 in 1908, remains the oldest Briton to have won an Olympic gold medal in sailing. His wife, Frances Rivett-Carnac, was one of the crew, and became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal at sailing. The Rivett-Carnacs also became the first husband-and-wife team to share Olympic gold in any sport.
I think things are going to be a little more competitive in Weymouth this summer.
3 comments:
Ya think?
Now some people worry about the sport of sailing going away.
The information in my post may not be entirely correct. Who wold think you can't believe everything you read on the Internet.
At the 1900 Olympics, Count Hermann de Pourtales of Switzerland, won the 1-2 Ton class and his wife Countess Helena was in his crew. So it seems that she was the first woman to win a gold medal in sailing and they were the first husband-wife team to share Olympic gold. Count Helena was also the first woman competitor in any sport in the modern Olympics.
However, reports of the sailing at the 1900 Olympics are a little confusing. "In common with other sports at the 1900 Games the yachting results are varied, incomplete and contradictory," wrote Ian Buchanan, president of the International Association of Olympic Historians.
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