James Espey became the fourth Irish sailing campaign to qualify for the London Olympics.
Sailing since the young age of ten, his first national championship title result not in a single-handed class but in the five man 1720 sportsboat class in 1998 but solo sailing has always been the attraction for the Ulsterman. As the number one ranked Irish Laser sailor Espey previously missed the cut last December when a black flag disqualification cost him dearly at the Auckland ISAF World championships but the plucky Belfast Lough sailor took a personal best of 37th overall in May's Laser Worlds in Germany to secure his Olympic debut in Weymouth.
Name: James Espey
Hometown: Bangor, Northern Ireland
Club: Royal Ulster Yacht Club/Ballyholme YC
Age: 28
Discipline: Laser dinghy
World Ranking: 92nd (May 2012)