Gold medalists Aleh, Powrie return to their sailing roots

Auckland, New Zealand (4E Sports) – Despite their recent gold-medal run at the London Olympics, Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie are not forgetting their roots and the place where they first met and started their outstanding sailing career.

Aleh and Powrie will return to the Kohimarama Yacht Club as guests of honor of the club’s open day Sunday and provide inspiration to rising talents who are honing their skills and dreaming to follow in their footsteps.

A voluntary organization operated by generous supporters, Kohimarama Yacht Club is one of New Zealand’s premier junior and youth clubs that serves as breeding ground for new sailing talents.

“I am really looking forward to going back to Kohimarama Yacht Club and meeting some of the young sailors coming through,” Aleh said. “I loved my time at Kohi when I was younger, and it is a great opportunity to be able to go back and to share our success with the club.”

“I remember when I was young seeing the then current Olympic sailors, and just never thinking I could actually make it to where they were. Hopefully we can share how we made it to the Olympics and how anyone else, who is driven, can do it to,” she added.

Powrie echoed Aleh’s sentiments, saying “it will be great to be back where it all began.”

“Jo and I spent many hours battling it out with each other on the waters off Kohi. Looking up to the generation above us and wondering how they made it competing overseas,” Powrie added.

Kohimarama Yacht Club Commodore Ross Simpson welcomed their expected visit, saying it would serve as inspiration and big boost to those who want to follow their career path.

“All the past and present members of Kohimarama Yacht Club are extremely proud of the success of the girls as we all fully understand the years of dedicated commitment and effort that Jo and Olivia have made to reach this principal of achievement,” Simpson said.

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