Michael McIntyre (sailor)

Michael Mackay McIntyre MBE (born 29 June 1956) is a British sailor, who was the Olympic champion in the Star class event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He also competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and won multiple British Finn class championships. In 1989, McIntyre was awarded an MBE for services to yachting.

Michael McIntyre
Personal information
Birth nameMichael Mackay McIntyre
Born (1956-06-29) 29 June 1956 (age 68)
Glasgow, Scotland
Sailing career
Class(es)Star, Finn
Medal record
Men's sailing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Star

Career

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At the age of 12,[1] McIntyre was a Scottish schools swimming champion.[2] He was a member of Helensburgh and Bosham Sailing Clubs.[3] McIntyre won the British Finn class Championships in 1980, 1981, and 1984.[3]

McIntyre competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing seventh in the Finn class.[2][4] McIntyre competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and won a gold medal in the Star class, together with Bryn Vaile.[5] McIntyre was the skipper of the team, and the pair had been in fourth place going into the final race.[4] The pair won the event after the American pair of Mark Reynolds and Hal Haenel had to retire in the final race due to a broken mast;[2][3] the Canadian team who were ahead of the Britons also retired from the race, due to a damaged backstay.[4] It was the first Olympic Star class medal by a British team since 1932,[4] when Colin Ratsey and Peter Jaffe finished second in the event.[6]

McIntyre retired from sailing after the 1988 Olympics.[7] In 2012, McIntyre made a one-off return to sailing for an event at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the 2012 Summer Olympics course.[2][7] His race was ended by a collision with another yacht.[8]

Personal life

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McIntyre was born in Glasgow,[5] and his father was a veterinary surgeon.[1] He grew up in Shandon, Argyll, and attended Hermitage Academy, and later the University of Glasgow.[1] McIntyre later lived in Salisbury, England, where he worked in sales management.[4] Despite living in England, McIntyre is an honorary president of Helensburgh Sailing Club in Scotland,[1] and he is also a lifetime honorary member of the Hayling Island Sailing Club.[9]

McIntyre was appointed MBE in the 1989 New Year Honours, for services to yachting.[10] McIntyre is married, and has multiple children.[11] His daughter Eilidh is a former sailor, who won a gold medal in the 470 event at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Michael McIntyre". Gazetteer for Scotland. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Golden Scots: Michael McIntyre wins 'Gold! Gold! Gold!'". BBC Sport. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Michael Mackay McIntyre". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "British pair race to great victory against the odds". Evening Standard. 27 September 1988. p. 64. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Michael McIntyre". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  6. ^ Browne, Francis Granger (1933). "Official Report of the Games of the X Olympiad" (PDF). Los Angeles: Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, U. S. A. 1932, LTD. p. 610. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Seoul 1988 gold-medallist Michael McIntyre interview". Yachts and Yachting. June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Skandia Sail for Gold: Former Olympian Michael McIntyre's comeback ruined by collision". Mancunian Matters. 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Committee Appointments". Hayling Island Sailing Club. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  10. ^ "No. 51578". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1988. p. 14.
  11. ^ "Seoul stars get heroes' welcome home". Evening Standard. 4 October 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 8 June 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "GB pair Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre win gold in 470 class". Tokyo 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
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