Nationality New Zealand
Born (1962-03-01) 1 March 1962 (age 50)
Wellington, New Zealand
Sport Sailing
Associated class(es) Finn
Medal record[show]Sailing
Competitor for New Zealand
Olympic Games
Gold 1984 Los Angeles Finn Class
Sir Russell Coutts, KNZM, CBE (born 1 March 1962 in Wellington New Zealand) is a competitive sailor. His achievements include a Gold medal in the Finn Class in the 1984 Olympic Games, winning the America's Cup four times, the ISAF World Youth championships, three World Match Racing Championships, numerous international match race wins and IOR, IMS and One Design World Championship victories. He has a perfect record in America's Cup racing with 20 wins to 0 losses.
In New Zealand he has been honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and the Knight Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit and has twice been the International Yacht Racing Union’s World Sailor of the Year. He holds an impressive record in the America's Cup, with 14 wins and 2 losses since 1995 winning four America's Cups (1995, 2000, 2003, 2010).
In 2005, he designed – together with Slovenian designer Andrej Justin – a new boat called the RC 44; a high performance one design racer created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC 44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.
In July 2007, Coutts was named CEO and Skipper of BMW Oracle Racing, sponsored by Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), the United States Challenger to the 2010 America's Cup. He was involved in the pre-match litigation between the challengers Golden Gate Yacht Club and Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), in which the court decided that the GGYC was the rightful Challenger of Record. Cup Defender SNG's team was Alinghi. Coutts' yacht USA beat the defending yacht Alinghi 5 by considerable margins in both races.[1][2] Most observers stated that USA 17's rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage.[3]
His son is New Zealand celebrity television personality Grayson Coutts[4][5][6][7]
Contents [hide]
1 Sailing career
2 Awards
3 References
4 External links
[edit] Sailing career1981 – ISAF World Youth Champion / 1st
1984 – 1984 Olympic Games / Los Angeles / Finn Class / Gold Medal
1992 – World Champion / Match Racing
1993 – World Champion / Match Racing
– Admiral's Cup / Pinta / 1st
1994 – World Champion / Match Racing
1995 – 1995 America’s Cup / Skipper of Black Magic (Challenger) / San Diego / Winner (37 victories, 1 loss)
1996 – World Champion / Match Racing
2000 – 2000 America’s Cup / Team New Zealand (Defender) / Auckland / Winner (5 to 0) – Helmsman
2001 – World Champion / 12 metre JI / Cowes
– World Champion / Farr 40 / Southampton, UK
2003 – 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup / Alinghi / Auckland / 1st – Helmsman
– 2003 America's Cup / Alinghi (Challenger) / Auckland / Winner (5 to 0) – Helmsman
2006 – Bol d'Or Rolex / Decision 35 / Team Banque Gonet / Switzerland / 1st
– World Champion / Farr 40 / Vincenzo Onorato Team / Newport, U.S.
2007 – World Champion / TP 52 / Team Artemis
2008 – Cagliari RC 44 Cup, Match Racing / RC 44 / BMW ORACLE Racing / Cagliari, Italy / 1st
– TP 52 Audi MedCup / TP 52 / Team USA 17 / 1st
– Malcesine SLAM Cup, Match Racing / RC 44 / BMW ORACLE Racing / Malcesine, Italy / 1st
2010 2010 America's Cup / BMW Oracle Racing (Challenger) / Valencia / Winner (2 to 0) – Team Chief Executive Officer
[edit] Awards1984 – New Zealand Yachtsman of the Year
1985 – Member of the British Empire, MBE
1994 – Silberne Lorbeerblatt[8], German National Award
1995 – Commander of the British Empire, CBE
1995 – Sperry World Sailor of the Year
1995 – Halberg Award
1995 – ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award
1996 – America's Cup Hall of Fame
1996 – World Trophy for Oceania
2000 – Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
2003 – ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award
[edit] References1.^ http://www.americascup.com/en/actualite/news/first-blood-to-usa-19-2362
2.^ http://www.americascup.com/en/actualite/news/usa-win-33rd-america-s-cup-match-19-2827
3.^ http://www.tdg.ch/actu/sports/demonstration-puissance-oracle-brise-reve-alinghi-2010-02-12
4.^ Meng-Yee, Carolyne (14 March 2010). "Rendezvous on the menu". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10631927. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
5.^ Tay, Karen (29 November 2009). "Baking: Latest front in cook-off wars". The Sunday Star-Times. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/3106419/Baking-Latest-front-in-cook-off-wars. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
6.^ Meikle, Hayden (16 February 2010). "Yachting: Friend says Coutts will not change". Otago Daily Times. http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/yachting/93630/yachting-friend-says-coutts-will-not-change. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
7.^ http://www.nzbaker.co.nz/DomPost221209.pdf?c_id=3&objectid=10537298
8.^ "Lorbeer für alle". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 2 July 1994. http://www.seiten.faz-archiv.de/faz/19940702/f19940702glo01--100.html. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
[edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Russell Coutts
www.russellcoutts.com – Official Russell Coutts's website
www.rc44.com – Official RC44 Class Association's website
www.transpac52.org – Official Transpac 52's Website
bmworacleracing.com – Official BMW ORACLE Racing's Website
www.americascup.com – Official America's Cup's Website
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