Eilidh Jane McIntyre MBE (born 4 June 1994)[2] is a British former sailor, who won the gold medal alongside Hannah Mills in the 470 event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She won the 2019 470 World Championships, and came second at the 2017 470 World Championships. She finished third at the 2015 470 European Championships, and second at the 2019 and 2021 events, as well as having won multiple Sailing World Cup medals. In 2022, McIntyre was awarded an MBE for services to yachting.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Eilidh Jane McIntyre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 June 1994 Hayling Island, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sailing career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class | 470 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Hayling Island[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editMcIntyre joined the British Sailing Team at the age of 15.[3] In 2013, McIntyre and Sophie Weguelin won the Kiel Week 470 event.[4] In 2014, the pair won the US Sailing's Miami Olympic Classes Regatta.[5] McIntyre won multiple medals at the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup.[6] McIntyre and Weguelin came third at the 2015 470 European Championships.[2] The pair failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[6][7] After the 2016 Summer Olympics, McIntyre teamed up with Hannah Mills, as Mills' former partner Saskia Clark retired after the Games.[7] McIntyre and Mills came second at the 2017 470 World Championships,[2] and the 2018 World Cup event in Hyères, France.[8]
In 2019, McIntyre and Mills won a gold medal[9] at the 470 World Championships, came second at the Olympic test event in Enoshima, Japan,[7][10] and came second at the 2019 470 European Championships.[11] In October 2019, McIntyre was awarded a place in the 470 event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, alongside Mills.[2] After the Olympics were postponed from 2020 to 2021, British Sailing confirmed that their squad selection were unchanged, and so McIntyre was still selected for the Games.[12] During the COVID-19 pandemic, McIntyre and Mills trained in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands,[13] as well as at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.[10] In January 2021, McIntyre was critical of a suggestion by Matthew Pinsent that the Olympics should be delayed until 2024.[13] In March 2021, McIntyre and Mills competed at the 470 World Championship, their first event for 18 months.[10] At the 2021 470 European Championships, the pair finished second.[14]
McIntyre won the gold medal alongside Mills at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics.[15] The pair were ahead going into the medal race, where they needed to finish seventh or higher to win the gold medal. They eventually finished fifth in that race.[16] In December 2021, McIntyre and Mills won the World Sailor of the Year Awards.[17]
In 2022, McIntyre started competing with Martin Wrigley, as the 470 events at the 2024 Summer Olympics will be mixed-gender.[18]
In February 2023, McIntyre announced her retirement from sailing.[19]
Honours
editMcIntyre was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to sailing.[20][21]
Personal life
editMcIntyre is from Hayling Island, Hampshire, England.[2] She was privately educated at the independent Mayville High School in Southsea, England.[22] As of 2021, McIntyre was engaged.[23] Her Scottish father Michael won a sailing gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[3][24]
References
edit- ^ "Eilidh McIntyre". World Sailing. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Eilidh McIntyre". Team GB. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Eilidh McIntyre: 'I'll be nervous about the Olympics going ahead until I'm at the start line'". The Guardian. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Kiel Week golds for GBR Finn and 470 sailors". Yachts and Yachting. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "World Cup Miami and Miami OCR Event Background". US Open Sailing Series. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ a b "TOKYO 2020: 'BAD THOUGHTS DRIVE ME ON' - EILIDH MCINTYRE, TEAM GB SAILING PARTNER OF HANNAH MILLS". Eurosport. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "'We have our own language other people might not understand' - GB sailor Eilidh McIntyre reveals secret to success with Hannah Mills". The Daily Telegraph. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Sailing: Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre win silver in France". Dorset Echo. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "British and Australian teams claim 470 world titles". Sailing.org. 12 August 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Mills and McIntyre bid to retain 470 World Championship title in Vilamoura". Inside the Games. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Regatta Information". 470.org.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Hannah Mills delays retirement to compete at 2021 Games". BBC Sport. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Tokyo Olympics: Eilidh McIntyre & Hannah Mills maintain focus amid games uncertainty". BBC Sport. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "MILLS AND MCINTYRE CLAIM SILVER AT 470 EUROS". Team GB. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "GB pair Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre win gold in 470 class". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ "Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre win Team GB's third Olympic sailing gold". The Guardian. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ "Rolex Sailors of the Year - Mens and Womens Winners announced". World Sailing. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Paris 2024: Dylan Fletcher and Eilidh McIntyre find new partners". Dorset Echo. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ "Eilidh McIntyre: Olympic sailing champion announces retirement ahead of Paris 2024". Sky Sports. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N22.
- ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
- ^ Mason, Louis (1 April 2020). "Big interview: Hayling Island sailor Eilidh McIntyre on her Olympic dream being put on hold for 12 months". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Celebrations at Hampshire sailing club as Eilidh McIntyre wins gold in Tokyo". The Inverness Courier. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Eilidh McIntyre still hopeful of realising Olympic ambition". BBC Sport. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
