It’s 16 years since the Sydney Olympic Games, when Team GB returned from Australia with 11 golds, 10 silvers and seven bronze medals, which back then was our most successful Games since 1920. It was the first Games that Team GB athletes had benefitted from National Lottery funding, following its introduction in 1997.
Before the famous 'blondes on the boat' there was just ‘the’ blonde on the boat with Shirley Robertson winning gold in the one-person dinghy under the shadow of Sydney’s famous Harbour Bridge.
Robertson made her Olympic debut in Barcelona, finishing ninth, and four years later in Atlanta missed a bronze medal by just two points.
But, aged 32, she arrived in Sydney as a top medal contender, after winning medals at the 1998, 1999 and 2000 World Championships.
And she became the first Scottish woman to win an Olympic gold in an individual event, leading the regatta from the start to hold off the challenge of Holland’s Margriet Matthysse.
Heading into the final race she was assured of silver and needed a top four finish to claim gold - after a tense race she came home third.
“We had the most exceptional talent we’ve had for a very long time, with the likes of Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy and Iain Walker,” said Robertson.
“Also, in 1998, we had the injection of lottery funding. It made a massive impact for a technical sport like ours.
“I remember Mike McIntyre winning an Olympic sailing medal in 1988. He was a fellow Scot who had a similar upbringing to me, and when the Games introduced a single-handed class for women, I thought, "Well, he was from Scotland and he did it..."
Robertson’s Sydney achievements saw her crowned female world sailor of the year and four years later, seeking a new challenge, she joined forces with Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb in the three crew Yngling class.
Together they dominated their regatta in Athens, winning gold with a day to spare as Robertson became the first British woman to win Olympic gold medals at consecutive games.
Robertson is now a sailing broadcaster, having covered the last three Games in Beijing, London and Rio.
Sportsbeat 2016