Andrew SIMPSON

Andrew Simpson, also known as Bart Simpson after the popular cartoon character, was known as one of the world’s best sailors in the Laser and Finn classes but for two Olympics running his role was limited to that of training partner to two men, Iain Percy in 2000 and Ben Ainslie in 2004, who both became Olympic champion. In 2008, after both men had met with mixed results in other boats, he teamed up with Iain Percy to campaign for Olympic selection in the Star class. The two men had been close friends since boyhood but they struggled in their early events and placed 52nd at the World Championships in 2008. By Beijing the combination clicked together and they won the Olympic title in a desperately close competition against the Swedish duo. The pair continued their successful ways by winning a silver medal at the 2009 European Championships and a gold medal at the World Championships in 2010. Their medal-winning streak was broken in 2011 when Percy suffered a back injury that led to their withdrawal from the World Championships. The duo narrowly failed to defend their Olympic title on home waters at Weymouth in 2012 when they lost out on gold after a final race duel with the Brazilian crew wrecked both teams chances and let Sweden take the championship. Following the London Games Simpson joined the crew of the Swedish America’s Cup challenge. Whilst training in San Francisco Bay in May 2013 he became trapped under the boat after a capsize and could not be revived by paramedics after spending ten minutes underwater.