Jo Aleh

{{Infobox sailor

| name = Jo Aleh

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM|size=100%}}

| image = Jo Aleh MNZM (cropped).jpg

| caption = Aleh in 2015

| full_name = Joanna Ayela Aleh

| nickname = Kesem Shukrun
Jox

| nationality = New Zealand

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1986|05|15}}

| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|5|ft|7|in|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|127|lb|kg|abbr=on}}

| classes = 470

| collegeteam =

| club = RNZYS, Takapuna Boating Club, Auckland, New Zealand

| coach = Nathan Handley

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{NZL}} }}

}}

Joanna Ayela Aleh {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM|size=85%}} (born 15 May 1986) is a New Zealand sailor.{{cite web|url=http://www.sailing.org/biog.php?memberid=43925 |title=ISAF: Sailor Biography |publisher=Sailing.org |date=15 May 1986 |access-date=7 April 2014}}{{cite web|last=Bloom|first=Nate|url=http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_Batman_and_the_Olympics.shtml |title=Interfaith Celebrities: Batman and the Olympics |date=24 July 2012|publisher=InterfaithFamily.com |access-date=7 April 2014}} She is a national champion, a former world champion, and an Olympic gold medallist.

Early and personal life

Aleh is Jewish,{{cite web|last=|first=|date=2012|title=2012 Summer Olympic medalists|url=http://www.jewishsportsreview.com/olympics_2012.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=7 April 2014|website=www.jewishsportsreview.com|publisher=Jewish Sports Review}}{{cite web|last=Goldberg |first=Dan |url=http://www.jta.org/2012/08/10/news-opinion/world/gold-for-new-zealand-jewish-sailor-jo-aleh |title=Gold for New Zealand Jewish sailor Jo Aleh |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=10 August 2012 |access-date=7 April 2014}} and was born in Auckland, daughter of Israeli father Shuki Shukrun and British-born mother Daniella Aleh, a former Israeli soldier.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/al/jo-aleh-1.html |title=Jo Aleh |access-date=7 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408223957/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/al/jo-aleh-1.html |archive-date= 8 April 2014 }} She lives in Auckland where she began a degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Auckland. When her sailing commitments increased, she moved to AUT to continue her engineering degree, and later began studying a Bachelor of Information Science at Massey University extramurally. Her Israeli name is Kesem Shukrun, and she had a Bat Mitzvah in Be'er Sheva.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4266917,00.html|title = Kesem Shukrun wins Olympic Gold for NZ| newspaper=Ynetnews |date = 10 August 2012 | last1=Brenner | first1=Neri }} She is a member of Beth Shalom, a Progressive Jewish congregation in Auckland.[https://www.jta.org/2012/08/14/ny/sailing-to-gold Sailing To Gold] Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 14 August 2012

In the 2013 New Year Honours, Aleh was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sailing.{{cite web | url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2013 | title=New Year honours list 2013|date=31 December 2012 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | access-date=10 January 2018}}

Sailing career

Just before her ninth birthday, Aleh was impressed by the New Zealand victory in the 1995 America's Cup, and asked her father if she could learn to sail. She did a learn to sail course at the Ponsonby Cruising Club and with the help of her extended family a small sailing dinghy was purchased. She began her competitive career at the age of 11 in an Optimist. Her first competition event was the Auckland Anniversary Regatta, for Kohimarama YC, in 1998.

She then made sailing history as the first female to win the Tanner Cup since its inception in 1945. This highly contested interprovincial competition is sailed in P-class sailing dinghies.

She won the Auckland Optimist Girls' Championship in 2000, in Kohimarama YC. Her first international competition was the 2002 Cork Regatta, in Kingston, Canada, in the Byte Class, where she won both the Youth and Open divisions, then moved onto the youth classes (under 18) and competed at two ISAF Youth World Championships, finishing with a silver medal in her final year.

Aleh then began the road to Beijing, competing in the Laser Radial class (women's single handed class) with a string of successful results including a World Cup event win, and a silver medal at the Pre-Olympic Test Event in Qingdao, China.

In 2007, she won the 420 World Championships at Takapuna, sailing with Olivia "Polly" Powrie.

She then competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Women's one-person dinghy, coming seventh.

Aleh and her sailing partner Olivia Polly Powrie won a silver medal in the 2010 470 World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, and a bronze medal in the 470 World Championships in the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, Australia. She and Powrie finished fourth at the Barcelona World Championships in May 2012, won the women's 470 class in the World Cup in Weymouth, England, in June 2012, and are the current New Zealand 470 national champions.

In August 2012 she and Powrie won the gold medal in the 470 class at the Olympic Games in Weymouth and Portland, England.

In August 2013, a year after winning their Olympic gold medal, Aleh and Powrie won the world title at the 2013 470 World Championships in La Rochelle, France.[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/boating/9028162/NZ-yachties-add-world-title-to-Olympic-gold NZ yachties add world title to Olympic gold], 11 August 2013, Stuff.co.nz

Aleh twice achieved world Number 1, in the Women's Laser Radial on 5 March 2008, and the Women's 470 in 2013. Her coach since 2009 has been Nathan Handley.

She is a life member of the Kohimarama Yacht Club, Takapuna Boating Club and Yachting New Zealand, and is a current member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Aleh trialled with Team Brunel before the 2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race but was not selected and instead joined consultancy firm Ernst & Young.{{cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11929070|title=Olympic medalist Jo Aleh joins workforce after missing Volvo Ocean Race|date=3 October 2017|via=www.nzherald.co.nz}}

On 26 July 2024 Aleh was announced as a flag bearer for the New Zealand team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, along with Aaron Gate.{{cite web|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018948460/jo-aleh-and-aaron-gate-named-as-nz-flag-bearers-for-olympic-opening-ceremony#:~:text=Track%20cyclist%20Aaron%20Gate%2C%20and,Rarere%20spoke%20to%20Corin%20Dann.|title=Jo Aleh and Aaron Gate named as NZ flag bearers for Olympic opening ceremony|website=Radio New Zealand |host=RNZ|date=26 July 2024|access-date=26 July 2024}}