ISAF Rolex World Sailor Of The Year Trains In Perth Ahead Of ISAF Worlds

The 2010 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, Australian Tom Slingsby, is among the first of the top international athletes to arrive in Perth to train ahead of the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in December.

Slingsby is part of the Australian Laser Squad which is holding a training camp in Fremantle in company with other early arrivals from New Zealand and the Netherlands.

The three-times Laser World Champion has helped raise the local profile of the ISAF Sailing World Championships with a spate of media interviews and coverage during the past week.

While he is one of the favourites to take a World Title, Slingsby admits that his biggest goal is to win a gold medal at the London Olympic Games next year.

He still has memories of Beijing where he competed as World Champion but finished well down the Laser fleet at 22nd.

“I had a good run up to Beijing. I won all the lead-up events but at the Olympics it didn’t quite go my way,” Slingsby said in Perth. “Everything seemed to go wrong. Hopefully it won’t happen this time (for London).”

And while he’s one of the favourites to win the Laser World Championship in Perth this December, Slingsby admits that his eyes are firmly fixed on Weymouth and an Olympic gold medal.

“I’ve won three world championships and never a gold medal,” he said in Perth. “So it’s definitely an Olympic gold medal.”

As more teams arrive in Perth to train, the logistics of the event are reflected in the big number of equipment containers now being unloaded in Fremantle. By the end of November almost 150 containers will have arrived for the event.

Spectators at the Perth 2011 ISAF Worlds will be able to watch the action up close and personal and Perth 2011 Club Membership is available now giving members access to the Inner Circle Club House, PEET Champions Bar and both Grandstands.

In addition they will be able to enjoy special members only events. For more information head to the Perth 2011 website.