Tessa Parkinson and Elise Rechichi have many things incommon. They were both born in 1986 and loved sailing from a young age.
Tessa was only eight years old when she began sailing at theFremantle Sailing Club and was competing by the age of eleven.
Elise was only seven years old when she started at the RoyalPerth Yacht Club and was competing the following year.
The pair joined forces in 2004 to compete in the 420 classand achieved quick success in the world youth championships in Poland and theopen world championships in Victoria.
They then moved to the Olympic class 470 category where afterfacing prolonged breaks in their training and preparation they had their goldenyear in 2008.
Elise and Tessa placed third in the 2008 World Championshipsand went on to record a magnificent victory in the Beijing Games the same year.