Team Australia
Challenge Squad
Nina Curtis
NSW
London 2012 Olympic silver medallist, Nina has pursued elite level, threshold breaking sailing achievements including participating on the third place winning Team Brunel Volvo Ocean Race in 2017/18 and being the first female Season Champion in Sail GP on the Team Australia Season 2 win.
She was a member of the World Sailing Rolex ‘team of the year’ win in 2022 and named NSW/ACT Female Sailor of the Year in 2022. Early in her career Nina shone on podiums taking 1st at the ISAF World Cup (Melbourne) in 2013 and taking podium spots in World Cups throughout 2015 and 2016. Her trophy cabinet boasts gold, silver and bronze medals from ISAF Match Racing World Championships and World Cups.
Nina was named Australian Female Sailor of the year in 2010 and 2012. She went on to campaign the 49er FX winning a third in the 2016 World Cup. She has also crewed numerous ocean races with great success and continues to sail on SailGP Team Australia.
Nina has a B.A in Human Movement Studies and is an Owner and Director of a Health and Fitness studio based in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Nina is also a founder and Director of NoNonsense Magnesium, a topical Magnesium range.
In May 2023 Nina became a Mum to her daughter Dylan.
When she is not sailing Nina can be found taking her daughter to the beach, park or out on a boat in Pittwater or sneaking in a surf.
Lisa Darmanin
NSW
Lisa represented the Australian Sailing Team from 2013-2023. She won a Silver Medal in the Nacra 17 class at the Rio 2016 Olympics and finished 5th at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Throughout her career, Lisa has consistently delivered outstanding results at World Championships in the Nacra class. Between 2014 and 2020, she clinched a total of 4 World Championships medals.
Lisa was awarded Australian Female Sailor of the Year in 2015, 2016, and 2020 and UNSWFemale Athlete of the Year in 2011, as well as the Ben Lexcen Scholarship from 2011 to 2013.
Beyond her competitive pursuits, Lisa is a commentator and presenter for sailing on the international stage, sharing her insights and passion for the sport with a global audience
Miles Davey
NSW
Miles was twice named Australian youth national champion in the 29er class in 2017 and 2018, also competing at international events and being named Australian National Champion in the class in 2017. Notably attending 2 x Youth Worlds winning a bronze medal in 2018 in Texas Corpus Christi.
In his more recent 49er campaign, he was third at Sail Sydney and competed in European and world championships and ranked highly at the Junior Worlds at Lake Como in 2022.
His best achievement to date in the 49er class was finishing 13th at the 2021 Worlds in Oman. He has campaigned a NACRA 17, crewed the 49er and enjoyed sailing/racing his moth in 2020.
He also races 18ft skiffs becoming the Super Cup winner in 2023 and finishing 8th at the JJGilitan worlds in 2023 on Balmain private.
Jack Ferguson
NSW
Jack Ferguson is the youngest member of Team Australia Challenge squad yet has competed at the highest level in various forms of sailing.
He is the current 49er Junior World Champion and recently placed 6th at the Trofeo Princess Sofia Regatta. He currently also campaigns in the Moth class, and placed 8th at the 2023 Moth Pre-Worlds. Although the Moth World Championships was not completed due to lack of wind, he placed on the podium in the first of two races. Jack has also raced as a member of the Enzedder 69F team, a popular 7 metre foiling monohull in Europe used as a training platform for many Women/Youth America’s Cup Teams.
Previously, Jack has claimed 5 National Championships across various classes. First in the Optimist in 2017, followed by the International 420 with two different teammates in 2019/2020 and the Foiling Waszp in 2020/2021.
In the same year, he was also the Trans-Tasman eSailing Champion.In 2021 he was named Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron Yachtsman of the Year and held a NSW Institute of Sport Individual Performance scholarship 2019-2024.
Jack’s biggest dream is to lead an Australian America’s Cup Team in the future
Laura Harding
VIC
Laura grew up sailing at Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron with her junior career starting aged 7 sailing Minnows at a State and National Championship level in 2011 and 2012, finishing second in both competitions as a member of the Victorian Sailing Team.
In 2014 she started sailing 420’s placing in State Championships and winning the Qld Youth Week in 2015 and 2016, scoring firsts and seconds in State and National Championships. Laura was granted a scholarship at the Victorian Institute of Sport in 2016 and was selected for the Australian Youth Sailing Team in 2017. Following this she became the 420 Junior World Champion and Vice Open World Champion in 2018.
Laura joined the Olympic Pathway in the 49er FX that year winning the Victorian State Championships, finishing second the following year in the Australian Nationals. She won Sail Sydney and Sail Melbourne in 2021 and scored a 4th place at the Allianz Hempel World Cup in 2022, the same year she was named Victorian Female Sailor of the Year for the second time. In 2024 she placed 5th in the 49er FX World Championship in Lanzarote.
She is a member of the Australian Sailing Team campaigning for the Olympic Games.
Laura is currently studying a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science at Deakin University and is in her final year of these studies.
Sarah Hoffman
NSW
Sarah is a competitive sailor and member of the Australian Sailing Squad aiming for the 2028 LA and 2032 Brisbane Olympics in the Nacra 17 class.
Sarah began sailing at the age of 7 at her local sailing club, Belmont 16ft Sailing Club. She began competitively sailing from the age of 10 on a state and national level in a Flying 11, followed by competing in the 29er and Nacra 15 youth classes.
Joining the NSW Youth Sailing Squad in the Nacra 15, Sarah represented Australia at the 2018 European Championships and the 2019 Pacific Games.Transitioning to the Olympic Nacra 17 class in 2019, Sarah has pursued an Olympic campaign alongside her university studies. In 2022, she was 1st at Sail Sydney and competed in the Nacra 17 European Championships and Kiel Week.
In 2023, Sarah came 2nd at the Junior World Championships and was the youngest team in Gold Fleet, coming 24th, at the World Championships in the Hague.
While dedicated to Australian Sailing Team training, Sarah has completed a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Politics and International Relations. She is currently in her 4th year of a Bachelor of Law at the University of Newcastle
QLD
Tom Needham
Tom is a member of the Australian Sailing Squad as a helm in the 49er class, is a hydraulic engineer for SailGP, and is completing a Mechanical and Aerospace degree at the University of Queensland.
He was named Queensland Youth Sailor of the Year in 2018, and Open Male Sailor of the Year in 2022.
Tom has competed across the globe in the 49er class securing 9th at the 2022 European Championships, 2nd at the Netherlands World Cup, 15th at the World Championships in 2020, 4th at the North American Championships, and has won multiple domestic events such as Sail Sydney and Sail Melbourne.
When he gets the chance, Tom also sails 18ft skiffs, and competes on the wing foil - he placed 4th Australian at the 2024 National Wing Foil Championships.
As a hydraulic engineer for SailGP, Tom is responsible for maintenance and performance upgrades on the hydraulic systems, and deck hardware onboard the F50s.
This means Tom brings a wealth of technical knowledge to the team, and an analytical approach to racing.
Tom is also currently completing his university thesis which focuses on the performance of supercavitating foils.
Max Paul
NSW
Max is a current member of the Australian Sailing Team, is currently placed 2nd in the World 49er rankings and is highly placed on the World Match Racing Rankings.
In 2023 Max placed 2nd at the Trofeo Princess Sofia World Cup in the 49er and placed 6th in 2024 in that event.
Max has also competed successfully in the Australian match racing circuit, placing 2nd twice at the Hardy Cup in 2022 and 2023 and 2nd at the 2022 Harken Youth International.
Max is a two time 29er Australian National Champion in 2018 and 2019, the same years he came 2nd in the 29er World Championships (2018) and 3rd in the World Sailing Youth World Championships (2019).
.png)
Olivia Price
NSW
Olivia started competing on the world sailing stage aged 16, and at 18 skippered the win for the Silver Medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Olivia became the youngest female sailor ever to win an Olympic Medal.
She has been selected to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with her team mate Evie Haseldine in the 49er FX.
Following the London games Olivia campaigned in the 49er FX Olympic Skiff Class, and in her first year achieved 3 podiums in the brand-new class. In 2015 she achieved a Bronze Medal at the Palma Euro Cup.
Olivia challenged female sailing boundaries, competing in the high powered Super Foiler Grand Prix circuit as the only female in the league and in 2022, after a coaching stint and study hiatus, she is aiming again for podium at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
She is a member of the Australian Sailing Team campaigning successfully in the 49er FX, winning a bronze at the Allianze Regatta last year after just 6 months with crew mate Evie Haseldine, and a winning bronze medal at the World Championships in The Hague, booking Australia a quota spot at the Paris Olympics.
Olivia has been a dedicated coach, particularly nurturing next generation female sailors and has excelled as a sailing commentator and broadcaster.
George Richardson
NSW
Starting out as a member of the NSW Youth sailing team George developed through the flying11 and 29er classes before transitioning to match racing at the CYCA where he has gone on to represent Australia across 3 different disciplines of the sport.
George has had success at a variety of events including winning the Hardy Cup, Warren Jones and Etchells National Championships as well as competing in the World Match Racing Tour finals and Etchells Worlds.
Alongside his inshore sailing George has been competing with a range of offshore programs and received the Bluewater Youth Sailor of the Year for his contributions trimming on TP52 Gweilo as they finished second in the 2022 Rolex Sydney to Hobart.
Away from sailing George is completing an engineering/commerce degree and works in a marine based defence company leveraging both his sailing and technical knowledge
Cole Tapper
NSW
Cole has enjoyed a diverse pathway across all the disciplines of sailing, having competed successfully in Fleet, Teams and Match Racing.
Like many young sailors he discovered his passion for sailing in an Optimist at his local club. Quickly being selected for the NSW Optimist team and representing Australia at the Asian and European Championships kickstarted his sailing journey.
Graduating to the 420 and Nacra class where he had podiums in both classes competing nationally and internationally, notably winning the 2018 NZ 420 Nationals and the 2018 U17 420 European Junior Championships. At the same time he was involved in Teams Racing through his secondary school and won the Australian Teams Racing Titles in 2017 and 2019.
Cole then discovered his love of Match Racing. He is the current Australian Youth Match Racing Champion and he and his team were second in the 2023 World Youth Match Racing Championships and in the 2023 Governor’s Cup. In the Open regattas he has enjoyed podiums in the US Grand Slam, the NZ Match Racing Championship and recently in the Ficker Cup, which qualified him for the prestigious Congressional Cup, where he made the quarter finals.
Currently, he is world number 1 ranked skipper in youth match racing and 9th ranked Open skipper.
Zoe Thompson
WA
Zoe has been a member of the Australian Sailing Team since 2018 sailing the ILCA class, coming through a competitive youth sailing career that saw her Youth World Champion in 2016 and Australian Champion in Open Skiff, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, National 125. Zoe has been selected for the Australian Sailing Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
She was named West Australian female sailor of the year in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and is an Australian Institute of Sport ‘Podium Level Athlete’.
This year she came second at the Palma World Cup and featured highly in the European Championships in 2022 and 2023 and the World Championships in Oman in 2022.
She was a finalist for Australian Female of the Year 2023.
Annie Wilmot
NSW
Annie grew up sailing on Sydney Harbour, spending most of her life on the water. She was firstthrown in a Manly Junior at 4 years old and has loved the sport ever since.
Annie is a member of the Australian Sailing Team, campaigning successfully in the 49er FX.She placed 5th at the World Championship 2024 in Lanzarote, and has achieved multiple top10 performances in the class since 2018. She has a proven track record demonstrating exceptional skill and experience across multiple sailing classes, consistently achieving notable success and championships in various categories.
In her youth career Annie was named Youth World Champion in 2016 and secured multiple first-place titles, including All Female Australian National, Australian Youth, New Zealand National and German National Champion in the same year.
Annie was named Australian Female Sailor of the Year in 2017, and NSW Female Sailor of the year 2017 and 2019.
Annie is passionate about all activities outdoors. From wing foiling to rock-climbing, she can always be found doing something sporty in her time off.