Conor Nicholas

Conor Nicholas got into sailing as a five-year-old and puts his success in the sport down to his family.

"My older brother got asked at school if he wanted to try sailing," Conor said. "Over time as a family we all gave it a go and now it's been my whole life.

"My family ... gave me the opportunity to compete interstate and overseas. It's led to multiple Australian titles and World Youth Champions. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today."

A proud Whadjuk man, Conor started out sailing Pelican dinghies at South of Perth Yacht Club, before moving on to lasers. He scored his first event victory at Sail Fremantle in 2011. In 2013, Conor won the bronze medal at the Laser Youth World Championships.

In 2015 Conor was able to achieve his first Youth World Championship title in the Laser Radial (ILCA6).

In 2019, he and Darren Bundock won the F18 World Championships in San Pere Pescador, Spain. A win in the final race gave the Australians a two-point victory over the defending champions Iordanis Paschalidis and Konstantinos Trigonis of Greece.

After a break from the sport for a couple of seasons, Conor teamed up with Nia Jerwood to compete in the mixed 470 category, with good results starting to come in 2023.

At the Mixed 470 European Championships in San Remo, Italy, they achieved their best result at a major international event, finishing 13th overall.

The pair got a taste of what to expect at the Paris Games when they finished second in their final race at the Olympic Test Event in Marseille in July 2023 to claim 6th overall.

Back in Australia, Conor and Nia won the mixed 470 class at the Sail Melbourne regatta by the narrowest of margins. It all came down to the final race and the Perth pair won on a countback from the Italian crew of Giacomo Ferrari and Allessandra Dubbini.

In December 2023, Conor and Nia secured a Paris Olympics quota spot at Sail Sydney, winning two races to pull 34 points clear of Oceania rivals New Zealand. Their form continued into 2024, finishing 15th at the 470 World Championships in Mallorca, Spain.

At the 2024 Paris Games, Conor made his Olympic debut. Competing in the mixed 470 with Nia Jerwood, they finished sixth in their medal race and ninth place overall.

Despite not winning a medal, Conor was proud of how himself and Nia sailed, and is now more determined than ever.

"It makes us hungry now - we've seen what it's like watching others win medals, and we want that. I think we might be back fighting soon."