Tom Ramshaw Earns Canadian Olympic Team Selection

Kingston, ON (May 17, 2016) – Sail Canada has announced that Tom Ramshaw (SLYC) has qualified for Rio 2016 in the one-person dinghy (heavyweight) Finn class following an 8th place finish at the Finn Gold Cup in Gaeta, Italy.

The former Laser sailor transitioned into the Finn boat just a year ago, a decision that has certainly led Ramshaw in the right direction. “I was struggling to keep my weight down in the Laser, so it seemed to make sense to move into a bigger boat,” Tom explains. “Simply put, I just needed a change.”

Tom placed 13th at the 2016 Miami World Cup, securing the country qualification spot for Canada. He sailed to a 10th place finish at the 2016 Finn Europeans, positioning himself as the Canadian frontrunner. Ramshaw ultimately sealed the deal in Italy with an 8th place finish at the 2016 Finn World Championships.

“I set a lofty goal for this event because I knew I had to prove consistent performance in order to earn a spot for Rio. I am proud of the outcome.”

The Toronto native sails out of the Stoney Lake Yacht Club and has been member of the National team since 2012. Tom will make his first trip to an Olympic Games at the age of 25.

“Being nominated to represent Canada at the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I started racing up at my cottage on Stony Lake. I’ve committed myself to this dream for years and to see all the hard work paying off is very satisfying, especially after taking the risk to switch classes just a year away from the Games. I’m so excited to continue into this next part of my journey.”

Canadian sailors have now been selected to compete in four of the 10 Olympic sailing events. Tom Ramshaw will be nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee along with Laser Radial sailor Brenda Bowskhill, Nacra 17 teammates Nikola Girke and Luke Ramsay and 49erFX squad Erin Rafuse and Danielle Boyd at the end of June.

The Canadian trials for the remaining Olympic hopefuls will conclude at Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland in the UK on June 8-12.

Prior to being named to the final Canadian Rio 2016 Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by Sail Canada.

Source: Colleen Coderre, Sail Canada