Niki James Birrell (born 16 August 1976) is a British Paralympic sailor. Alongside Alexandra Rickham, he has won four IFDS World Championship titles and in the 2012 Summer Paralympics the pair took the bronze medal in the SKUD 18 two person keelboat class.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Niki James Birrell |
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 16 August 1976 Manchester, England |
| Sailing career | |
| Club | Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy |
Medal record | |
Sailing
editBirrell, who was born with cerebral palsy & down syndrome, began sailing at a young age after being introduced to the hobby by his father. He and his brother Christian became a competing pair and in 2002 they were selected for the British team in the 420 class.[1]
Birrell competed in the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition in the SKUD 18 two person keelboat class alongside teammate Alexandra Rickham, where he finished fifth. Between 2009 and 2011 Birrell and Rickham have won four IFDS World Championship titles.
Birrell was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London, United Kingdom.[2] He competed in the SKUD 2-person keelboat event with Rickham, for which they took the bronze medal.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Meet the team". teambirrellrickham.com. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ^ "Alex Rickham". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ^ "Paralympics 2012: Britain's Helena Lucas wins sailing gold". BBC Sport. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
External links
edit- Niki Birrell at World Sailing
- Niki Birrell at the International Paralympic Committee
- Niki Birrell at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
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