Ben Ainslie (born 5 February 1977, Macclesfield) is a British sailor and two-times Olympic gold medalist.

Ainslie won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and Gold in the 2000 Summer Olympics in the Laser class. He put on forty pounds and moved to the larger Finn class for the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he won gold.

The son of Roddy Ainslie, who captained a boat that took part in the first Whitbread Round The World Race in 1973, he won a gold medal at the World Youth Championships in 1995, and was awarded the title of British Yachtsman of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2002. He is also the holder of an MBE.

External links

• Biography, British Olympic Team (http://www.olympics.org.uk/teamgb/biogs_athens.asp?AthleteID=59)