Malcolm Page OAM inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
by Megan McKay, Australian Sailing 14 Oct 2016 21:52 BST
14 October 2016
Malcolm Page OAM inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame © The Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Olympic Sailing gold medallist, Malcolm Page OAM has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the sport of sailing.
Page was the first-ever Australian sailor to win back-to-back Olympic Gold medals, when he won the Men's 470 class event at the London 2012 Olympic Games. A seven-time world champion, Page dominated the men's 470 class for almost a decade and is Australia's most successful Olympic sailor.
After narrowly missing selection for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Page joined with Nathan Wilmot and the pair went on to win the 2004 world championship before finishing twelfth at the Olympic Games in Athens.
World titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007 followed in the 470 class and at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, the pair won Olympic gold.
Page returned for his third Olympic appearance in London, this time with partner Mathew Belcher. The duo had already collected the 2010, 2011 and 2012 world titles and they produced a stunning display in the waters off Weymouth to record five wins heading into the gold medal race - where a second place was enough to secure the gold medal.
The captain of the Australian sailing team from 2005 to 2012, Page's stunning performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games was capped off with the honour of carrying the Australian flag and leading the Australian Olympic Team into the closing ceremony in London.
Congratulating Page on his induction into the Hall of Fame, Australian Sailing President Matt Allen commented, "winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals is an outstanding achievement and for Malcolm to complete that accomplishment in 2008 with Nathan Wilmot and again four years later in London with Mat Belcher, shows an incredible sporting prowess and ability.
"Malcolm has always been a great ambassador for sailing both in Australia and internationally. He is highly regarded by his peers, and his engaging personality has ensured he has made many friends throughout his sailing career.
"On behalf of the Australian sailing community, we congratulate him on this wonderful accolade", said Allen.
Growing up on Sydney Harbour, Malcolm Page began sailing at the age of eight, and has gone on to be recognised as one of Australia's most successful sailors, winning the 2009 Australian Yachtsman of the Year, in addition to being recognized as Australian Institute of Sport Team of the Year on three occasions. Page was also inducted into the AIS 'Best of the Best' Hall of Fame in 2011.