Gold medal trio Mat Belcher, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen named in Australia’s Olympic sailing team

MAT Belcher, Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen and three debutants have been named in an Australian sailing team facing major hurdles to stay fit and healthy in the polluted waters of Rio.

Mathew Belcher (holding flag) with Tom Slingsby , Nathan Outridge, Malcolm Page, Iain Jensen. Australia's London 2012 Olympic team arrived home to the Middle Harbour Yacht club at The Spit, in Sydney's northern beaches this afteroon. The sailors, are Australia's most successful Olympic Sailing team in Australian sporting history. Pic - Sam Mooy

A TRIO of Olympic gold medallists and three debutants have been named in an Australian sailing team facing major hurdles to stay fit and healthy in the polluted waters at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

If they can avoid the illness and skin problems which have plagued sailors at the filthy and contaminated Rio Olympic sailing site in recent times, two of the teams named today are expected to spearhead the Australian Olympic teams gold medal chase in 2016.

The 47O team of Olympic champion Mat Belcher and new crew Will Ryan and London 49er gold medallists Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are among our leading gold medal hopes in Rio.

Despite the team taking precautions which include such things as sanitisers being on all boats, Ryan fell sick in Rio while preparing for the test event earlier this year, just one of numerous sailors to fall foul of the polluted waters at the time.

Iain Jensen and Nathan Outteridge are also in the squad

A German sailor who was also racing there has been treated at a Berlin hospital for MRSA, a flesh-eating bacteria.

The Sydney crew of Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, who will race the new Nacra 17 mixed class in Rio are also considered a hope for a medal after winning the last Olympic test event.

The pair beat out two-time Olympic silver medallist and seven time world champion in the Tornada class, Darren Bundock, and match-racing silver medallist Nina Curtis for the early Olympic selection.

Earlier this week it was reported a new round of testing in the city’s Olympic waterways shows they are still badly contaminated.

In July, the AP reported that its first round of tests showed disease-causing viruses directly linked to human sewage at levels up to 1.7 million times what would be considered highly alarming in the US or Europe. Experts said athletes were competing in the viral equivalent of raw sewage and exposure to dangerous health risks almost certain.

The big hit of the London Olympics with a record three gold and a silver medal, sailing was the most successful sport for Australia in 2012.

It’s members are also expected to make a splash in 2016 — if they remain healthy.

Originally published as Gold medal trio Mat Belcher, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen named in Australia’s Olympic sailing team