From Salford
Sailing towards Paralympic Gold in 2012?
World beater A
t only 25 and, together with teammate Alexandra Rickham, Niki is a real Paralympic Gold Medal contender. He has been sailing since he was nine, when
his dad took him and his brother to Cheshire’s Winsford Flash Sailing Club. “I just got hooked immediately,” said Niki. “My brother also really loved it and we ended up as British and European junior champions and got to train with the Olympic development squad.”
Niki was born with cerebral palsy and it wasn’t too long before the Paralympic team came knocking on his door, which was why in 2007 he teamed up with Alexandra Rickham to race two-person SKUD 18s – a high-performance craft that allows disabled sailors to perform at elite levels. A series of impressive finishes during selection for the Beijing games, including a Bronze at the US Disabled Open Midwinters, put them on the plane to China, with Niki the youngest member of the sailing team. Beijing though, while a great experience, was not plain sailing. “It’s probably the most disappointing moment of my career so far as we didn’t even make the podium,” said Niki. “Our main focus is to win at London 2012 and this year me and Alexandra have just been concentrating on sailing the boat as fast as we can.”
Image accreditations: Above: Skandia Team GBR/Paul Wyeth Below: onEdition
Among the superstars competing in the London 2012 Paralympics is Salford old boy and sailing World Cup Gold Medal winner Niki Birrell.
Niki still lives in the North West with his parents, and while at the University studied for a Business and Management Degree. “Business is something I’m definitely interested in,” he said, “and when I stop competing I’d like to run my own company.”
However, there are years of competition to go yet, and the time between Beijing and now has proved hugely successful in terms of medals. Niki and Alexandra won gold in two back-to-back World Championships and then a further Gold Medal at the 2010 ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Cup. “It was awesome to win with a day to spare and we were delighted all our hard training paid off,” said Niki. “The World Cup was the biggest fleet we’ve ever raced in and has really set us up for the Games.”
When he’s not sailing Niki spends his time with family and friends, or watching Manchester City. While those in the know are confident he’ll secure the podium he craves, he still remembers the early years to keep his feet on the ground. “When me and my brother were younger we decided to go sailing when everyone else said it was too windy. We not only managed to capsize the boat but get it blown onto rocks too,” he said. “It did £1500 worth of damage – all for 8 seconds of sailing!”
28 Alumni Magazine 2011 Niki’s career highlights
2010 ISAF World Cup, Gold 2010 World Championships, Gold 2009 World Championships, Gold
2008 Qingdao International Regatta (Paralympic Test Event), Gold
Niki with teammate Alexandra Rickham
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