Vital statistics

Name: Iain Percy

Date of birth: March 21 1976

Star sign: Aries

Place of birth: Southampton

Current hometown: Valencia, Spain

Nickname: Perce

First boat you sailed and where? Skipper 14, Norfolk broads

Who got you into sailing? My family all started together when I was six

Favourite boat: Finn

Biggest influence in your career to date? David Howlett

Worst moment in your sailing career? Sixth place in the 2004 Athens Olympics

Best moment in your sailing career? Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics alongside my sailing partner Bart

Best sailing venue in the UK? Stokes Bay

Best sailing venue in the World? Sydney

Most annoying rule in the sailing rule book? Rule 42 - pumping

If you weren’t a professional sailor what else would you be? Richer!

How do you progress from a club sailor to an Olympic-class sailor? Hours on the water

What are your greatest passions outside of sailing? Rude question ;-)

Most expensive sailing accident? Myself and Ben Ainslie manager to break mast, sail, boom, rudder and put a hole in the deck of a Laser 5000 on our first sail together… hopefully that’s not a sign for the future!

Football club you support? Saints

What other sports do you play? No, I’m too old!

What would you love to do but never have the time or money for it? Go to the Poles

Worst habit? Ermmm….

What word or phrase most depicts your personality? “Make it succeed”

If you were a pantomime character who would it be? I’d like to say Robin Hood but at the moment…Friar Tuck!

What’s your greatest fear or phobia? Failure

Favourite reality show? Don’t do TV

Name three things that are always in your shopping trolley? …Or shopping

What was the last book you read? Prisoner in Tehran

What makes you angry? Unnecessary poverty

Dream holiday? Trekking from Buenos Aires to Santiego over the Andes

What’s better about football than sailing? The pay

Where do you keep your Olympic medals? My parents have them!