Russell Coutts

Russell Coutts was the second sailor to win both the Olympic gold and the America’s Cup, after Buddy Melges. His Olympic gold came in 1984, winning the Finn class. He was nearly disqualified, as his clothes were sleightly overweight. After three consecutive match racing world titles (1992-1994), Russell Coutts was twice awarded the Sailor of the Year award, in 1995 and 2003. He is best known for his success in the America’s Cup, winning it four times. He was helmsman when New Zealand won the cup off San Diego in 1995, and at the helm again for New Zealand’s successful defence against an Italian syndicate off Auckland in 2000. By 2003, he had switched to the Swiss Alinghi syndicate and took the cup from New Zealand. In 2010, he was chief executive of the BMW Oracle syndicate that beat Alinghi in a best-of-three challenge off Valencia to take the cup back to the United States. Coutts was made a knight companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and is now styled Sir Russell Coutts.