© Yachting Australia
Factfile
Name	Tom Slingsby
Nation	AUS
Date of Birth	5 September 1984
Place of Birth	Sydney, Australia

Tom Slingsby is an exceptional talent. He began the nomination period with a win at Skandia Sail for Gold 2009 and ended it in exactly the same way at the 2010 regatta. In between Slingsby won virtually every regatta he sailed in. In December 2009, he was back in Australia for the summer season in the Laser winning Sail Sydney and the Australian national title. He also picked up the Etchells national title in January and the Farr 40 national title in March.

Sailing as tactician on the Farr 40 Transfusion, Slingsby guided the team to second overall at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in the Dominican Republic in April before returning to the Laser and the European circuit of the ISAF Sailing World Cup. Slingsby sailed at three of the 2009-10 regattas and won them all: Delta Lloyd, Kieler Woche and Skandia Sail for Gold. He also picked up the bronze medal at the Laser Europeans in Estonia.

Between gold medals in the Laser, Slingsby travelled to Howth in Ireland with his Etchells team of John Bertrand and Andrew Palfrey. The team took charge from the second day of racing and with five race wins from the nine race series, they were able to sit out the final race and still be crowned 2010 World Champions.

The final fling for Slingsby was the Laser World Championship at Hayling Island in the UK and once again the Australian was dominant. He claimed his third Laser world title with a 36-point margin over the silver medallist.

Laser - Men's One Person Dinghy

1 - Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta, Weymouth & Portland, GBR - ISAF Grade 3 - September 2009 (W
1 - Sail Sydney, Sydney, AUS - ISAF Grade 1 - Dec 2009
1 - Australian Laser Championship, Adelaide, AUS - ISAF Grade 2 - Dec 2009
1 - Delta Lloyd Regatta, Medemblik, NED - ISAF Grade 1 - May 2010
3 - Laser European Championship, Tallin, EST - ISAF Grade C1 - June 2010
1 - Kieler Woche, Kiel, GER - ISAF Grade 1 - June 2010
1 - Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta, Weymouth & Portland, GBR - ISAF Grade 3 - August 2010
5th Overall 2009-2010 ISAF Sailing World Cup (sailed 3 won 3)
1 - Laser World Championship, Hayling Island, GBR - ISAF Grade W - Aug/September 2010

Etchells

1 - Australian Etchells Championships, Belmont, AUS - January 2010 (bow)
1 - Etchells World Championship, Howth, IRL - August 2010 (bow)

Farr 40 - Transfusion- tactician

1 - Australian Farr 40 Championship (tactician, Transfusion), Sydney, AUS - March 2010
2 - Far r40 World Championship (tactician Transfusion), Dominican Republic - April 2010

Q&A

What inspired you to take up sailing?

My father and two older sisters were sailing, so I just followed them.

What was the first boat you ever sailed and how old were you?

A Sabot, it's an Australian learning class and I was 5 years old.

Name your first sailing club

Gosford Sailing Club

What was the first event you competed in and in what year?

Club Championship at Gosford Sailing Club in 1992.

What are you personal sailing career highlights?

2006 - winning the World Sailing Games in the Laser
2007, 2008 and 2010 - 1st in the Laser World Championship
2010 - winning the Etchells World Championship

What are your future sailing goals?

To win an Olympic gold medal
To lead an Australian team to winning the America's Cup

Who has had the greatest impact on your sailing and career and why?

My parents. The opportunities and encouragement have helped me to get where I am today.

Who is your sailing hero?

Ben Ainslie and Robert Scheidt

What other sports do you enjoy?

Cycling, golf, windsurfing and mixed martial arts

What does being nominated for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards mean to you and how would you feel if you were voted the winner?

It's a great feeling seeing all the hard work I have put in for so many years paying off. It would be an amazing honour being included with the greats who have won it before.