After winning the Youth World Championships in 2000, chronic back pain stopped Ben Austin from sailing. It took Austin, a trained physiotherapist, two years to overcome the injury and in 2005 he combined with Nathan Outteridge in the 49er class. The pair won the 2008 49er World Championships before making their Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008. Austin and Outteridge finished fifth.
The Australian Olympic Committee acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we are located. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.
We celebrate and honour all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Olympians.
The Australian Olympic Committee is committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society and sport.
