Finn Alexander( OR2016) Wins Gold
condition in an intense six-day race described as the toughest, most gruelling thing he has done. Through it all, Finn emerged victorious to win gold, becoming the 2017 Laser Radial Youth World Champion.
With this incredible achievement under his belt, he flew home and competed in his first Mens Open Laser National Champion, in which he finished 5th in the Men’ s Division and won the Under 21 Trophy. All these wins have gained him a spot in the Australian Sailing Squad, which was something he had dreamed of since he was a boy.
Photo Finn Alexander, 2017 Youth Sailing World Champion. |
2016 was a busy year for Finn Alexander. |
State Championships and NSW Youth |
Not only was the Claver House Vice |
Championships. |
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Captain busy studying for the HSC along with his year 12 peers, he was also in training for the 2016 Youth World
Championships. He managed to not only perform strongly in the HSC, but he also competed in and won a number of regattas including Sail Melbourne, NSW
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Since graduating, Finn competed in the final series of the World Cup Regatta and won gold with a very convincing lead.
From there, he competed against the best of the best from around the world in the
Laser Radial, dealing with every weather
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“ Winning gold at the World Championships was the perfect way to finish my youth sailing career, and became a stepping stone into the much more competitive men ' s fleet. It was the culmination of three years of very hard work with a lot of sacrifice, which was all worth it in the end. My focus has turned now to breaking through the men ' s fleet and pursing my goal of winning an Olympic gold medal.”
The Banksia Project
“ Come as an individual, share as a group and leave connected”
The OIU-backed mental health initiative, The Banksia Project, has continued to make significant progress in its mission to go beyond awareness for mental health. In May, we held our latest public forum- the Garden Room, which focused on mental health in sport. Hosted by Olympian Matt Shirvington, the event was attended by over 300 people and featured special guests from across Australia’ s major sporting codes.
The second part of The Banksia Project, the Growth Rooms, has now opened, providing male-only community support groups led by trained facilitators. There are currently six Growth Rooms located across Sydney which are free to attend.
For more information on The Banksia Project, to get involved or to join a Growth Room, please visit thebanksiaproject. com. au
LUKE O’ DONNELL( OR2006), SECRETARY FOR THE GENERAL COMMITTEE
ALUMNI IN FOCUS | IGNATIAN | 35