When Canadian sailor Richard Clarke finished 17th in the Finn regatta at the 2000 Sydney Olympics he abruptly announced he would retire from the sport. But there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then and Clarke is headed to Athens to participate at his third straight Olympics. His medal hopes are high after winning the silver medal earlier this year at the Gold Cup, which is regarded as the world championship in Finn racing.
The veteran sailor has a long list of internaitonal success. He was the Canadian Yachting Association Male Athlete of the Year in 1993, and won the coveted Rolex Sailor of the Year Award in 1999 and the Gerry Roufs Trophy in 2002 for achievement in international Offshore Racing.
Clarke started sailing at the age of four in a boat built by his father. The Clarke family has a very steep heritage in the sailing community. Richard's parents met in London, England while sailing for the University of London. They immigrated to Canada in the 1950s. His father won a bronze medal at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg and competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics in the Finn class.
His sister Felicity Clarke just fell short in her bid to make the Olympic squad this year in the new Yngling class.
