Pippa Wilson began sailing at the age of five in an Optimist sailing craft at Salterns Sailing Club in Hampshire. It soon became clear that she had a natural talent for sailing. She started to compete in local junior events, moving on to crewing and helming Cadets from the age of eight. Pippa had the loyal support of her parents and as her skills developed, she quickly started to make her mark on the major youth sailing events. At the age of 15 she became class national champion, and in the same year came 1st Girl in the World Championships in Argentina.
During the following year, 2002, Pippa became the European Champion in the 29ers class (a two person yacht). In 2004 she became the overall Youth National Champion sailing in the 420 class. She went on to win a Bronze medal in the same year in the Youth World Championships in Poland.
Pippa achieved recognition at junior level and was soon a key member of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Development Squad. She began sailing in the Olympic 470 2 person class, ranking highly in many of the World’s top sailing events. In 2005 Pippa was selected to represent Great Britain, finishing in the top ten at the European Championships in Poland and 7th in the World Championships in San Francisco.
In 2006 Pippa was offered the chance to join Yngling team members Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb in the 2008 Olympic campaign, replacing twice gold medallist Shirley Robertson who was the third member of the 2004 Athens Olympic gold winning team.
In their first regatta together (the Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth, 2006) they won a bronze medal. They then went on to have a very successful year in 2007, winning the ISAF World Championships in Cascais, Portugal and the Olympic test in Qingdao, China.
In 2008 the team retained the World Championship position, dominating the 28-boat race from the opening day.
On Sunday 17 August 2008 the GB Yngling crew consisting of Pippa Wilson, Sarah Webb and Sarah Ayton faced rough seas off the coast of Qingdao, China. But they managed to hold off their closest rivals, the Dutch team, to win the race. They become the overall winners in their class and took the Olympic Gold Medal.
The 2008 gold winning team are now training in a new class of boat, the Elliot 6m, in their quest for the London 2012 Olympics.
International Competitive Achievements
| Date | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| August 08 | 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, CHINA | Gold |
| March 08 | European Championship Blanes, SPAIN | 1st |
| February 08 | World Championships Miami, USA | 1st |
| August 07 | Olympic Test Event Qingdao, CHINA | 1st |
| June 07 | ISAF Sailing World Championships Cascais, PORTUGAL | 1st |
| September 06 | 470 World Championships Rizhao, CHINA | 23rd |
| June 06 | 470 European Championships Balaton, HUNGARY | 26th |
| January 06 | 470 North American Championships Miami, USA | 3rd |
| August 05 | 470 World Championship San Francisco, USA | 7th |
| June 05 | 470 European Championship Gydnia, POLAND | 8th |