John Gimson

John Gimson
Gimson in 2021
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1983-03-11) 11 March 1983
Leicester, England[1]
Sport
Sailing career
ClassNacra 17
ClubRudyard Lake
CoachIain Percy
Medal record
Sailing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Tokyo 2020 Nacra 17
World Championships
2025 Cagliari Nacra 17
2021 Mussanah Nacra 17
2020 Geelong Nacra 17
2024 La Grande-Motte Nacra 17
2023 The Hague Nacra 17
2001 Kingston Open 29er
European Championships
2025 Thessaloniki Nacra 17
2023 Vilamoura Nacra 17
2021 Thessaloniki Nacra 17
2010 Italy Etchells
2019 Weymouth Nacra 17
2001 Alassio 29er

John Gimson (born 11 March 1983) is an Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and 3x World and European champion in sailings Mixed multihull Olympic discipline.

Life

Gimson lives in Congleton.[1]

Gimson's youth career yielded silver medals at the World and European Championships and a 2013 Americas Cup appearance, as well as eight years racing keelboats. Gimson joined Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson in 2012 as their training partner in the Star class for the Olympic cycle ahead of the London Games but the Star class was dropped as an Olympic event following 2012, leading to his eventual switch to Nacra 17.

He also competed in the Paris 2024 Olympic games narrowly missing out on a medal after a disqualification in the medal race, leaving him 4th.

Gimson competed in Tokyo alongside Anna Burnet with silver in the Nacra 17 class at the 2020 Games. The duo have won in Olympic medals and winning the World championships 3 times 2020/2021/2025. They have also won the European championships 3 times 2021,2023,2025.

He and Burnet would cap off a remarkable day for British sailing on the Olympic stage in Japan, making history winning a silver Medal, the first ever British team to do so in the Mixed multihull, which debuted at Rio 2016, and taking Britain's first medal in a multihull class since Reg White & John Osborn's gold medal in the Tornado at Montreal 1976.

He represented Team GB, along with partner Anna Burnet, in the Nacra 17 class at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo winning a silver medal.[2] Gimson's World Championship success includes winning the 2020 Nacra 17 Worlds and 2nd place at the 29er World Championships.[3]

In 2025 he and Anna Burnet won Gold at the Long Beach Olympic Sailing Grand Slam for the Nacra 17. They were well ahead of silver winners Laura Farese and Matthäus Zochling of Austria after winning two thirds of the fifteen races. Lukas Haberl and Clara Stamminger came in third place for the Bronze.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "John Gimson and Anna Burnet". britishsailingteam.rya.org.uk. British Sailing Team. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ "John Gimson". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. ^ "John Gimson". members.sailing.org. World Sailing. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022.
  4. ^ New, Gerald (21 July 2025). "Long Beach Olympic Sailing Grand Slam – Gold for Gimson and Burnet". Retrieved 11 March 2026.