Olivia Elizabeth "Polly" Powrie (born 9 December 1987) is a New Zealand sailor. She has won Olympic and world championship titles in the

470 class The 470 (Four-Seventy) is a double-handed monohull planing dinghy with a centreboard, Bermuda rig, and centre sheeting. Equipped with a spinnaker, trapeze and a large sail-area-to-weight ratio, it is designed to plane easily, and good teamwork is ...

, and is also a former

420 420 may refer to: * 420 (number) * 420 (cannabis culture), informal reference to cannabis use and celebrations on April 20 **California Senate Bill 420 or the Medical Marijuana Program Act *AD 420, a year in the 5th century of the Julian calendar * ...

world champion.

Biography

Powrie and her sailing partner

Jo Aleh Joanna Ayela Aleh (born 15 May 1986) is a New Zealand sailor. She is a national champion, a former world champion, and an Olympic gold medallist. Aleh competes in the two-woman 470 dinghy, a double-handed monohull planing dinghy with a cen ...

, who were known as "Team Jolly", won the gold medal in the

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. In August 2013, exactly a year after winning their Olympic gold medal, Aleh and Powrie won the world title at the 2013

470 World Championships The 470 World Championships have been held every year since 1970 and organised by the International 470 Class Association and recognized by the International Sailing Federation. When the Championship forms part of the ISAF Sailing World Championship ...

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. She and Aleh were named ISAF Female Sailor of the Year, the first New Zealand women to win that award. Powrie is a graduate of

St Cuthbert's College, Auckland St Cuthbert's College is a private (independent) Presbyterian-based day and boarding school for girls aged 4 to 18 (Years 0 to 13), located in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand. The school was established in 1915 and has a roll of approximately 1 ...

. In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hon ...

, Powrie was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

for services to sailing. Powrie announced her retirement from Olympic sailing on 6 January 2017.

References

External links

* * * * * * 1987 births 420 class world champions 470 class world champions ISAF World Sailor of the Year (female) Living people Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand female sailors (sport) Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in sailing Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand People educated at St Cuthbert's College, Auckland Sailors at the 2012 Summer Olympics – 470 Sailors at the 2016 Summer Olympics – 470 Sailors (sport) from Auckland World champions in sailing for New Zealand {{NewZealand-yachtracing-bio-stub