Damien Seguin nominated for World Sailor of the Year

France’s Damien Seguin is among the five nominees up for the 2016 Male Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award, World Sailing and Rolex have announced.

The Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards is the most prestigious award of recognition in the dynamic sport of sailing. Since the awards inception in 1994, the trophy has proudly accumulated the names of those who have demonstrated unparalleled endurance, performance and accomplishment in sailing. Beginning with Sir Peter Blake and Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the inaugural winners, the trophy reads like the definitive who's who in sailing.

At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Seguin won his second Paralympic gold medal in the one-person keelboat (2.4 Norlin OD), much redemption after missing the podium at London 2012.

With Athens Paralympic gold and Beijing 2008 silver already around his neck, Seguin was no stranger to keeping composed during the 11-race series. With an astute, mature performance Seguin concentrated on staying at the front of the fleet and even though he only won one race in the series, he remained in the top six throughout as some of his rivals stuttered. In the final race Seguin sealed the deal when he crossed the line in fourth position in front of the only sailor that could mathematically beat him, Great Britain's defending gold medallist Helena Lucas.

Seguin will be up against male nominees in New Zealand duo of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke; Croatian duo of Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic; Argentina’s Santiago Lange, and Great Britain’s Giles Scott.

The announcement of the 2016 female and male Rolex World Sailors of the Year will be made on Tuesday 8 November in Barcelona, Spain, the host city of the World Sailing's 2016 Annual Conference. The male and female winners will be decided by World Sailing Member National Authorities, attendees on the night as well as, for the first time, the public.

Public voting will commence at 13:00 CET on Friday 4 November for a period of 72 hours. Further details on how to vote will follow. Winners will be presented with a unique marble and silver trophy depicting the globe, crowned with five silver spinnakers representing the continents, together with a Rolex timepiece.

For more information on the 2016 Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award, visit World Sailing’s website.