Wearn and Gilmour Inducted into AST

WAIS sailors Matt Wearn and David Gilmour have been welcomed onto the 2015 Australian Sailing Team at a team dinner this week at Middle Harbour Yacht Club.

Sydney Olympic gold medallist in the Men’s 470 Tom King officially inducted the recent additions to the Australian Sailing Team with a stirring address.

“When you come into this successful team, you should remember what an extraordinary achievement it is to win an Olympic gold medal,” he said. “Aspiring to win gold at the Olympic Games is far from ordinary and you are not part of an ordinary group of people sitting in this room.”

“As a team you can rightly claim to be the top Olympic sport group in the country and coming into that you are in very privileged position,”King said.

Laser sailor Matt Wearn returns to the team after finishing second at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Melbourne in December and third at the Sailing World Cup in Miami at the end of January- a position he lost after a disappointing 28that the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain last September.

“To requalify for AST is a great feeling”Wearn said.”Especially to bounce back after my worlds experience. It’s just nice to get back on track for 2016.”

He joins world number one ranked Laser sailor Tom Burton as the second Laser sailor on the Australian Sailing Team coached by 2000 Olympic Bronze medallist Michael Blackburn.

Men’s Skiff sailors David Gilmour and Rhys Mara qualified for the Australian Sailing Team after finishing seventh at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander in Spain last September.

-YachtingAus