We have the winners for Australian Sailing Awards, 2016. Lisa Darmanin and Tom Burton, both Olympic medalists have walked away with the top honors. Australian Paralympic Sailing Team, which broke few records, also received awards at the ceremony.

Tom Burton had won the Laser Olympic Gold in Rio 2016. And at the award ceremony, he was given the award of Male Sailor of the Year. It was one of the most exciting games. He won the race by using tactical prowess. This was the sole Gold medal for Australia in 2016 games.

While receiving the award, Tom Burton reminisced his Olympics stint. He was in contention for the bronze medal, until the final moments of the race. Then things changed dramatically. Tom still can’t believe how things turned around in his favor.

He reiterates the fact there were several factors in play. He won because he managed to link so many parts together. That made it easy to bring results.

What about his future plans? Asside from a Split Bareboat Yacht Charter, he wants to win Gold again in Tokyo 2020. He shared the fact that nobody won back to back gold in the Laser. So, he’s definitely aiming for that record.

As far as his big achievement in Rio was concerned, it didn’t happen overnight. It was a step by step journey for him. He won a couple of important awards in 2015, before he finally won his Olympic Gold. He won gold at two World Cups in the same year. He won bronze at the Rio Test Event in 2015. He had also won bronze at the World Championships in 2015.

Lisa Darmanin walked away with the Female Sailor of the Year award at the ceremony. She won a silver medal at the Rio Olympics. She participated in the Nacra 17 class. It was a highly appreciated win considering they performed exceptionally.