Perrysburg graduate, Anna Tunnicliffe, considered sailing's best
7/15/2012
Anna Tunnicliffe, a Perrysburg graduate, displays her gold medal at the medal ceremony of the Laser Radial women class sailing competition at the 2008 Beijing Games.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Anna Tunnicliffe, a Perrysburg graduate, displays her gold medal at the medal ceremony of the Laser Radial women class sailing competition at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Anna Tunnicliffe forgives those who perceive sailing exclusively as a gentleman's sport, a leisurely weekend pastime of gliding on quiet waters.
They have not seen her lift weights heavier than a fridge or the paint-scraping new Olympic race in which the Perrysburg High School graduate's three-man team will be a gold-medal contender next month in London.
"In a match race, rubbing is racing," said Duane Burgoyne of the North Cape Yacht Club in La Salle, Mich.
In fact, the Weymouth, England, venue where Tunnicliffe will attempt to become the first American sailor to win gold medals in two classes is already sold out in anticipation of the one-on-one races around a two-lap course. In a sport miles outside the limelight, Tunnicliffe is ready for her Olympic close-up -- and United States sailing could not have cast a better representative.