Paris 2024 Olympics: Secretive program creating sailing gold medallists

He’s Australia’s latest Olympic champion but Matt Wearn is also a product of a sailing factory with closely guarded secrets mining gold medals at four consecutive Olympic Games

History-making sailor Matt Wearn is a product of an extraordinary program few know about, his international rivals would love to replicate and which has produced four consecutive gold medals in the same small boat at the Olympics in a show of dominance rarely seen in sport.

The blueprint for success involves an extended squad of up-and-comers, hungry young guns and crafty older sailors along with coaches and technicians who work together for the common good of a “a top dog”.

For the last two Olympics that sailor has been Wearn, the 28-year-old who came back from a debilitating illness to defend his ILCA 7 crown from Tokyo in the light airs of Marseille.

But for many years it was Wearn who worked for others by working to beat them - specifically 2012 London gold medallist Tom Slingsby and then 2016 Rio champion Tom Burton.

And without this exclusive membership of a squad with “gold medal winning standards” Wearn said he does not believe he would be the sailor he is today and one of only three Australian sailors to own two gold medals alongside 470 skipper Mat Belcher and 470 crewmen Mal Page.

Matt Wearn with his gold medal in Marseille.. Clive Mason/Getty Images

“It’s a legacy from Blackers,” said Wearn of Sydney Olympic bronze medallist and world champion turned coach and now technical director of the Australian sailing team, Michael Blackburn. “The biggest thing is the mentality of the group.

“Blackers had a grand plan to expose me young and I was in my last year of school, turning 17, and I did two events with the squad.

Matt Wearn winning his first gold in Japan.

“Slingers (Tom Slingsby) was selected for the London Olympics so it was all about him. Our job was to push him, to make him better.

“Then Tom Burton was the top dog and the others worked hard to beat him.

“Then I came in and we are all working for that common goal - to win a gold medal. We feed off each other

“It for the greater good. That mentality took a lot of work to manage but it set a precedent in sailing.

Tom Burton at the Rio Olympics.

Tom Slingsby in London.

“You see so many times squads just shatter when someone is selected. That doesn’t happen with us. Once a person is selected everyone understands their role and is happy to help out.”

Wearn was inspired to chase an Olympic dream after watching fellow Perth sailors Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson win 470 dinghy gold at the 2008 Olympics and then later meeting them and touching their gold medals.

After launching a stunning comeback from the rear of the fleet to win his Tokyo gold on debut, the naturally talented Wearn, known for his attention to detail and work ethic, had to fight back from a debilitating case of long Covid and chronic fatigue which confined him to a couch for weeks and saw him drop 10 kilos of weight.

It also stopped him sailing.

Incredibly Wearn came back a better sailor than ever to win two world titles before collecting a second gold on the waters off Marseille.

Speedsters, young guns, stars! Future bright for sailing at LA and Brisbane 2032

Australia’s sailing campaign in cruel winds in Marseilles is over with the young team adding two medals to the record haul and laying down a solid foundation for future success.

Our fastest woman on water, kiter Breiana Whitehouse, hit speeds in excess of 60km/h at the regatta but wasn’t quite fast enough to advance out of the semi-finals of the spectacular new class on Thursday to officially end Australia’s Paris 2024 Olympic sailing program.

“Kites are new, I’m new and I’ve had fun learning and its exciting people like it,’’ Whitehead said.

“I’m actually stoked. I’m very close to tears. It’s special to be at an Olympics.’’

Australia’s two sailing medallists and the majority of their teammates will campaign on for the LA Games - and potentially Brisbane 2032 - in a major boost of medal prospects at both Games.

Breiana Whitehead can walk on water but missed out on the finals of the women’s kite.

One of the youngest teams in recent times with an average age of just 24, the foundation for future success has been laid in a sport which regularly bats above its average as one of the smaller teams at the Olympics.

Since 2012 sailors have produced a whopping 12 Olympic medals of which seven have been gold with our best performance the three gold (470 men, 49er and Laser) and one silver (match-racing) in London

Ultra light winds and abandoned races almost every day cruelled a number of medal chances in Marseilles, none more so than kite sailor Whitehead who managed to race just six of her scheduled 16 races in the qualifying series, leaving her little runway to recover from a nervous start to the regatta.

Grae Morris won silver in the windsurf iQFOiL.

Pavlos Kontides of Team Cyprus, gold medallist Matt Wearn and bronze medallist Stefano Peschiera.

There was hope early that the pairing of Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas in the new mixed 470 class could snap up a minor medal with the pair regularly in the lead or vying for it in races that were later abandoned due to light breeze.

On Thursday the Perth pair and childhood mates finished 6th in the medal race for a 9th overall in the mixed 470 dinghy.

“We are pretty proud of the last two and a half years together,’’ Jerwood said.

“Today made us hungry for one of this medals.’’

Nia Jerwood and Nicholas Connor finished ninth in the 470.

Nicholas said their long friendship remained intact despite a week of ups and downs in Marseilles unexpectedly light winds.

“I think it's a lifelong friendship. I think Nia said the other day we know too much about each other not to be friends,’’ Nicholas said.

“I wouldn't have done this with anyone else and thankful she took me on.’’

Of the 10 sailors or crews in Australia four finished top 10 in Matt Wearn (1st, ILCA 7), Grae Morris (2nd, foiling iQFOiL windsurfer), Jerwood and Nicholas (mixed 470) and Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine (9th 49erFX).

Encouragingly Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown were unlucky not to crack the top 10, finishing 13th but showing great speed and skills in their unexpected Olympic campaign.

The pair were on the Australian Sailing's Futures Program a year ago and only elevated when Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin pulled the pin on their Olympic campaign.

49er sailors Jim Collley and Shaun Connor finished 15th and ILCA 6 sailor Zoe Thomson 20th.

“A few years ago we would have thought Wearny was our only chance so it was good to see Grae come up so quickly while we regenerated the team,’’ said Sailing Australia technical manager Michael Blackburn who admitted he had hope for top 10 in every class.

“In LA we want more medals and top 10s.’’

Originally published as Paris 2024 Olympics: Secretive program creating sailing gold medallists