VITAL STATISTICS

Name: Ali Young

Date of birth: 29 May 1987

Star sign: Gemini

Place of birth: Wolverhampton

Current hometown: Portland

Nickname: Bongo

First boat you sailed and where? GP14 at Trimpley Sailing Club with my dad

Who got you into sailing? My mum got my dad some sailing lessons for his birthday when I was about 8 and I got into sailing then, although my Uncle Paul also needs a mention for taking my dad sailing in the Lakes before that!

Favourite boat? Laser radial because of its close racing and hard hiking

Biggest influence in your career to date? Hard to name one person, everyone that has coached me has influenced my sailing along with my parents

Worst moment in sailing? Never a bad moment, only mistakes to learn from

Best moment in sailing? Working your guts out upwind, then turning round to sail some huge waves back in to Hayling Island Sailing Club

Best sailing venue in the UK? Weymouth bay in a SE

Best sailing venue in the World? Fortaleza in Brazil

If you weren’t a professional sailor what else would you be? I’ve got a degree in civil engineering so would be using that somewhere.

How do you progress from a club sailor to an Olympic class sailor? Training hard and smart

Most expensive sailing accident? Had a days training in Weymouth when I managed to break two bottom sections in one day and Charlotte Dobson who I was training with had to tow me back in.

What football club you support? West Brom

Do you follow any other sports? Football, athletics

Any heroes? No heroes just inspired by people who achieve their goals

What other sports do you play? Not a sport as such but I am learning to uni-cycle at the moment!

What would you love to do but never have the time or money for it? One day I’d like to run the London Marathon, I think it would have a great atmosphere

Worst habit? Wasting time

What word or phrase most depicts your personality? Quirky

Do you have any lucky charms or rituals? Just like to make sure all my kit and drinks are ready the night before racing

If you had a theme song – what would it be? Tubthumping by Chumbawumba

Name 3 things that are always in your shopping trolley? Porridge, apples, chewing gum

What was the last book you read? Michael Phelps autobiography

What makes you angry? Car parking charges

Dream holiday? Walking in the Lake District

What's better about football than sailing? Nothing’s better than sailing