Iain Bryden Percy OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 21 March 1976 in Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

) is a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 sailor

Sailor

A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...

 and double Olympic champion.

Sailing competitions

Percy competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, where he won a gold medal in the Finn class. He memorably received his gold medal at a ceremony on the steps of the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...

.

He competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

 in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 and finished 6th in the double-handed Star class with Steve Mitchell

Steve Mitchell (sailor)

Steven Mitchell is a British sailor. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and finished 6th in the double-handed Star class with Iain Percy....

. The same team received a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2005 European Championships.

Percy won World Bronze in the Star Class with Andrew Simpson in 2007 and European Championship Gold in 2009. The duo have just won Gold in the same class of boat at the 2010 World Championships which took place in Brazil. With previous partner, Steve Mitchell, Percy won the 2002 Star World Championships in Los Angeles, and medalled in the next 3 world championships, winning the Bronze medal in each of them.

At the 2008 Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 he again won a gold medal, this time in the Star class, teaming up with Andrew Simpson

Andrew Simpson (sailor)

Andrew James Simpson MBE , nicknamed Bart Simpson, is a British sailor. He won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as crew for skipper Iain Percy in the Star class...

.
Percy is a member of Hayling Island Sailing Club

Hayling Island Sailing Club

Located on an isolated sandy peninsula known as "Sandy Point," at the entrance to Chichester Harbour, England, the Hayling Island Sailing Club, was founded in 1921.The "old" club house was built in 1936...

 and sails there regularly.

Awards

Percy was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005, as a recognition of his Olympic gold medal. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.