Oskar Johansson learned to sail on his father's boat at the Oakville Yacht Squadron. Johansson has been pursuing his Olympic dream for nine years, originally in the Laser class. After just missing the cut in Laser for a berth on the 2000 Olympic team, Canadian sailing team high performance director Ken Dool suggested that Johansson pair up with Curtis in the Tornado class. It turns out Johansson's helming skills, combined with Curtis's experience and crewing skills, made a fantastic combination.
Johansson, a gold medallist in Laser at the 1999 Pan Am Games, was also an excellent hockey player playing Tier II with the Streetsville Derby.
The Tornado is a twin-hulled catamaran measuring 6.09 metres long. Curtis and Johansson are calling their journey to Athens the Sail for Gold program. Canada has developed some very successful Olympic sailors through the years but none has ever won the gold.
