Mitch Booth
{{short description|Australian sailor}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox sailor
| name = Mitch Booth
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| fullname = Mitchell Jay Booth
| nickname = 'The Legend'
| nationality = Australian /Dutch
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1963|01|04}}
| birth_place = Sydney, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 1.69 m
| weight =
| retired =
| classes = Tornado
| club = Pittwater,Palm Beach, Sydney, Australia ; Rotterdamsche Zeilvereeniging; CV Palamós
| collegeteam =
| coach =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Sailing }}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }}
{{Medal|Silver | 1996 Atlanta | Tornado }}
{{Medal|Bronze | 1992 Barcelona | Tornado }}
{{MedalCountry | {{NED}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}
{{Medal|Bronze | 2003 |Tornado }}
{{MedalCompetition | European Championships }}
{{Medal|Gold | 2004 | Tornado }}
{{Medal|Silver | 2002 | Tornado }}
{{Medal|Bronze | 2005 | Tornado }}
| show-medals = yes
| updated = 12 February 2014
}}
Mitchell Jay "Mitch" Booth (born 4 January 1963, in Sydney) is a sailor from Australia, who represented his native country for the first time at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Booth as helmsman in the Australian Tornado with John Forbes as crew took Bronze. In 1996, Booth made a second appearance this time with crew member Andrew Landenberger the team took the Silver in the Tornado. In 2004, Athens Booth represented the Netherlands as helmsman of the Dutch Tornado. With crew member Herbert Dercksen Booth took 5th place. His final Olympic appearance came during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. Now with crew member Pim Nieuwenhuis in the Dutch Tornado, Booth finished 5th.
Sailing career
Booth started his sailing career at the age of four, when his mother taught him the basics on Pittwater. Alongside his father John (Jay) Booth won his first State Championship as a seven-year-old boy. His father honored his desire to skipper and compete in international competitions. His first break-through came at the age of seventeen, when finishing second in an Australian Championship. This achievement guaranteed his participation at the World Championship in the United States. From a fleet of over hundred boats representing nine countries, he and his crew went on to win the title. Since then Booth has made his life as a professional sailor. The projects have varied from Olympic sailing to Ocean racing and to keel boat racing. Off the water he has been involved in many sailing related activities including the creation of the current Olympic Tornado class Rig, design and build of A Class cats, the creation of Volvo Extreme 40, sailing Manager for America's cup team (1995) and technical adviser to ISAF.
In total he took part in 64 World Championships, becoming World Champion a total of ten times. In the 50 national championships in which he took part he took the title a total of 13 times. He has won 23 out of 47 Australian State Championships in which he performed. He won eight European titles since becoming Dutch in sixteen starts. He took part in four Olympics. In 2000 Sydney he was coach of the Australian national team squad.
Awards and records
He has been named the 1992 Australian Yachtsman of the Year, the 1993 Caltex Sports Star finalist, three times NSW Yachtsman of the Year, the 1995 America's Cup sailing manager, the 1996 MMI Sports Star finalist, the 1996 Australian Yachtsman of the Year and the 2004 Dutch Sailor of the year. He was also crew member of the boats holding the previous World 24-hour distance record and Transatlantic (Cádiz to San Salvador) record holder (ClubMed) and the current Round Britain and Ireland record (PlayStation (yacht)).
References
{{reflist|refs=
|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/mitch-booth-1.html
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418093448/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/mitch-booth-1.html
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = 18 April 2020
|title = Mitch Booth Bio, Stats, and Results
|publisher = Sports-Reference.com
|work = Olympic Sports
|accessdate = 12 February 2014
}}
|url = http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2844/Archief/archief/article/detail/693189/2004/05/17/Zeilteam-Thies-plaatst-zich-maar-nipt-voor-Athene.dhtml
|title = Zeilteam-Thies plaatst zich maar nipt voor Athene
|work = VK
|publisher = De Volkskrant
|date = 2004-05-17
|accessdate = 12 February 2014
}}
|url = http://www.nu.nl/athene2004/381398/team-thies-verliest-terrein.html
|title = Team-Thies verliest
|publisher = Nu.nl
|date = 18 August 2004
|accessdate = 12 February 2014
}}
|url = http://www.nu.nl/athene2004/388635/ook-boothdercksen-buiten-podium.html
|title = Ook Booth/Dercksen buiten podium
|publisher = Nu.nl
|date = 28 August 2004
|accessdate = 12 February 2014
}}
|url = http://www.watersportalmanak.nl/nieuws/38335-eerste-zeilers-gekwalificeerd-
|title = Eerste zeilers gekwalificeerd voor Olympische Spelen Beijing 2008
|work = watersportalmanak.nl
|accessdate = 12 February 2014
}}
|url = http://www.gelderlander.nl/sport/2.2184/stromingsinformatie-voor-zeilploeg-1.2716978
|title = Stromingsinformatie voor zeilploeg
|publisher = De Gelderlander
|accessdate = 12 February 2014
}}
|url=http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/historical-list-of-offshore-world-records.html
|title=WSSRC: Transatlantic records
|accessdate=12 February 2014
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129130934/http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/historical-list-of-offshore-world-records.html
|archivedate=29 November 2013
}}
|url = http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/24-hour-distance-records.html
|title = WSSRC: Distance records
|accessdate = 20 August 2008
}}
}}
External links
- {{World Sailing|id=AUSMB42|www=mitch-booth}}
- {{Olympics.com profile|mitch-booth}}
- {{AOC}}
- {{Olympedia}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|awards}}
{{s-bef|before=John Dransfield}}
{{s-ttl|title=Australian Yachtsman of the Year |with = John Forbes | years=1991–1992}}
{{s-aft|after=Syd Fischer}}
{{s-bef|before=David Adams}}
{{s-ttl|title=Australian Yachtsman of the Year|years=1995–1996}}
{{s-aft|after=Chris Nicholson & Daniel Phillips}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer World Champions Open Tornado}}
{{1992AustralianOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{1996AustralianOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{2004DutchOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{2008DutchOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Mitch}}
Category:Australian male sailors (sport)
Category:Dutch male sailors (sport)
Category:Sailors at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Category:Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Category:Sailors at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Category:Sailors at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Tornado
Category:Olympic sailors for Australia
Category:Olympic sailors for the Netherlands
Category:Olympic silver medalists for Australia
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
Category:Olympic medalists in sailing
Category:Extreme Sailing Series sailors
Category:Sailors (sport) from Sydney
Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Tornado class world champions
Category:F18 class world champions
Category:World champions in sailing for Australia
Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales