Michael "Micky" Beckett (born 27 March 1995) is a British sailor who won a gold medal at the 2021 ILCA European Championships and silver at the 2023 Sailing World Championships. He represented Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname | Micky | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 March 1995[2] Solva, Pembrokeshire, Wales[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sailing career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class | ILCA 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Solva Sailing Club[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editBeckett began competing aged 10 after learning to sail on his father's handmade boat.[3]
He won his first major medal when he claimed silver at the 2018 Laser European Championships in La Rochelle, France.[4][5]
Beckett was part of a historic one-two-three for Great Britain at the 2020 ILCA European Championships in Gdansk, Poland, as he took silver with teammates Elliot Hanson and Lorenzo Chiavarini winning gold and bronze respectively. It was the first time that Britain had taken all three podium places at a major Laser class championship.[6][7]
He finally won continental gold at the 2021 ILCA European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria, taking the title with a race to spare after leading throughout the competition.[8][9]
Beckett took a third European Championship silver medal at the 2022 championships in Hyeres, France.[10][11]
He won silver at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, and in doing so he clinched an ILCA 7 qualification spot for Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[12][13]
In October 2023 Beckett was named among the first 10 members of the British Sailing Team for the Paris Games.[14][15]
Despite being given a penalty in the qualifying section, Beckett took a bronze medal at the ILCA 7 World Championship in Adelaide, Australia, in January 2024.[16][17]
He then won the prestigious Trofeo Princesa Sofía regatta in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, for the third successive year at the 53rd edition in April 2024.[18][19]
Beckett recovered from a difficult opening to his Olympic regatta to move into second place after day three thanks to two fourth place finishes.[20] However, he suffered a disqualification for being over the start line before the gun fired in the first race on day four and, despite an eighth place finish in the next race, dropped back to fourth going into the final day of the opening series.[21] A lack of sufficient wind saw those races cancelled leaving Beckett still in fourth ahead of the medal race.[22][23] Having looked set to claim a medal only to see the race abandoned due to a shift in wind, Beckett was given three separate penalties when racing restarted and came 10th to end in sixth overall.[24][25][26]
Personal life
editBeckett has a Ship Science degree from the University of Southampton.[3] He worked as a television producer for the sailing events at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Michael Beckett Profile". British Sailing Team. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Team GB profile of Michael Beckett". Team GB. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b "Beckett hoping extra sailing time during Covid will aid Olympic dreams". Ealing Times. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Michael Beckett wins silver at Laser European Championships". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Beckett scoops silver for Britain at Laser European Championships". Sail Web. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Podium lockout as Tokyo-bound Hanson scoops Euro title". yachtsandyachting.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Elliot Hanson takes European Laser gold as Britain fills the podium in Poland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "European Sailing Championships: Michael Beckett wins ILCA 7 gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Micky Beckett storms to first ILCA 7 European Championship win". Sail World. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "EurILCA 2022 Senior Europeans – Beckett finishes with Silver as Kontides Triumphes". Sail Web. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Beckett seals silver at ILCA Euros". British Sailing. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Sailing World Championships: Great Britain win four medals in final weekend in Netherlands". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "ILCA classes at the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships - Overall". yachtsandyachting.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "TEAM GB REVEALS FIRST ATHLETES FOR PARIS 2024". British Sailing. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Olympics: Team GB reveals 10-strong sailing team". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Micky Beckett: Welshman confident of Olympic success after World bronze". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "TEAM GB'S MICKY BECKETT WINS BRONZE AT ILCA 7 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS". British Sailing. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Sailing: Brit Micky Beckett completes Princess Sofia hat-trick". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Welsh wizard Beckett inspires with Palma three-peat". yachtsandyachting.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Today at the Games: August 3". British Sailing Team. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Today at the Games: August 4". British Sailing Team. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Beckett into men's dinghy medal race". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Beckett and Grube's Monday races cancelled". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Heartbreak for Pembrokeshire's Micky Beckett as Olympic medal slips away". Herald Wales. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Team GB star denied silver medal and ordered to start race again in 'devastating' twist". Wales Online. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Battle Royale in Marseille - Men's Dinghy Medal Race drama at Paris 2024 Olympics". Yachts and Yachting. Retrieved 7 August 2024.