Eilidh McIntyre MBE is a sailor in the 470 class who reached the pinnacle of her sport as an Olympic Gold medallist. Having achieved this feat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, at just 26 years old, she followed in the footsteps of her Olympian father, Mike McIntyre, a sailing gold medallist. Eilidh knew that it would take more than her father winning a gold medal for her to achieve this dream. Since her retirement in February 2023, Eilidh has become a popular speaker, covering topics such as overcoming adversity, building a healthy team and reaching peak performance.
Growing up in Hayling Island, Hampshire, Eilidh was surrounded by water from an early age and quickly became accommodated with the waves when she had her first experience on a catamaran at just eight months old. As she grew, so did Eilidh’s love for the sea and boats, and she began her career as a sailor. Inspired by her father’s Olympic gold medal, Eilidh understood she would have to work hard to live up to her father’s name. At 15 years old, with a wealth of experience in sailing, Eilidh joined the British Sailing Team. As her partnership with Sophie Weguelin grew, the pair successfully won bronze at the 470 European Championships and took numerous World Cup podium finishes.
The pressure began to mount for Eilidh after she failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. She forged a new partnership with Hannah Mills, and they began their quest to win Olympic Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This new partnership proved very successful, with the pair winning silver at the 2017 470 World Championships before coming first in Enoshima in 2019. Their hard work and dedication paid off, and they were selected among the 12 athletes competing for Team GB Sailing at the 2020 Olympics. In the summer of 2021, Eilidh and Hannah achieved Olympic gold medal glory in the 470 class.
Over the years, competing at the highest level of her sport, Eilidh overcame many obstacles. She learned to control her nerves to compete under pressure and can educate others to do the same. Her journey has also been one of resilience after narrowly missing out on competing at the Rio Olympics. Eilidh did not let this setback dampen her drive and succeeded in reaching the Tokyo Olympics. Now she can advise organisations on how to improve their resilience, overcome adversity and build cohesive teams. An incredibly inspirational speaker book Eilidh McIntyre now!
2021 - Silver, Vilamoura, 470 European Championships
2020 - Gold, Tokyo Olympic Games
2019 - Silver, Sanremo, 470 European Championships
2019 - Gold, Enoshima, 470 World Championships
2017 - Silver, Thessaloniki, 470 World Championships
2015 - Bronze, Arhus, 470 European Championships
2013 - Bronze, Formia, 470 European Championships
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