Factfile
Name	Helena Lucas
Nation	Great Britain
Date of Birth	24 April 1975
Place of Birth	Redhill, Surrey, England
Class sailed	2.4mR
Website	www.helenalucas.com	Twitter	@lucasgbr	target=blank>Click here for a photo gallery

With three Paralympic 2.4mR gold medallists in the London 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition 2.4mR fleet Helena Lucas entered the event as an outside favourite.

Although she had taken the 2011-2012 2.4mR ISAF Sailing World Cup title, a regatta victory in the one-person keelboat had always evaded her following a string of silver and bronze medals since she stepped into the boat in 2003.

As the week unfolded in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain, Lucas injected a bit of girl power into the open 2.4mR fleet. As the only female sailor in the pack she made light work of her male counterparts with consistent sailing in a variety of wind speeds on her home waters.

She started the regatta as she meant to go on, by winning races, as her first bullet, a narrow split second victory ahead of Thierry Schmitter (NED), came on the opening day. Three consecutive race wins followed at the midway point of the event giving the Brit a healthy advantage on the final straight.

Despite a shaky penultimate day the writing was on the wall and Lucas etched her name in British Paralympic sailing history to become the nation's first gold medallist.

Acheivements between 31 September 2011 and 31 August 2012

Gold medal - 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition, Weymouth and Portland, GBR - August 2012
1st 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup

2 - Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta, Weymouth and Portland, GBR - June 2012
3 - Delta Lloyd Regatta, Medemblik, NED - May 2012
2 - Semaine Olympique Francaise de Voile, Hyeres, FRA - April 2012
2 - Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia MAPFRE, Palma de Majorca, ESP - March 2012
5 - US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, USA - January 2012
4 - IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championships, Florida, USA - January 2012

Q&A

What inspired you to take up sailing?

My parents.

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

A Mirror dinghy, aged 8.

Name your first sailing club

Crawley Mariners Yacht Club

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

Eric Twiname Trophy in 1988

What are you personal sailing career highlights?

Winning Gold at the London 2012 Paralympics in the 2.4mR class
Winning silver in the Yngling class at the 2006 pre-Olympic regatta in Qingadao.

What are your future sailing goals?

To win Gold in Rio 2016.

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

My husband for his continued support over the last 16 years.

Who is your sailing hero?

Ben Ainslie

What other sports do you enjoy?

Cycling, windsurfing, skiing and running.

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 honour to have been nominated and to win would be the pinnacle of my career.