View source for Mitch Booth

{{short description|Australian sailor}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox sailor
| name           = Mitch Booth
| image          = 
| image_size     = 
| caption        = 
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = Mitchell Jay Booth
| nickname       = 'The Legend'
| nationality    = Australian /Dutch
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1963|01|04}}
| birth_place    = [[Sydney]], Australia
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = 1.69 m
| weight         = 
| retired        = 
| classes        = [[Tornado (sailboat)|Tornado]]
| club           = Pittwater,Palm Beach, Sydney, Australia ; Rotterdamsche Zeilvereeniging; CV Palamós
| collegeteam    = 
| coach          = 
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | [[Sailing (sport)|Sailing]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
 {{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
  {{Medal|Silver | [[Sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Tornado|Tornado]] }}
  {{Medal|Bronze | [[Sailing at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Sailing at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Tornado|Tornado]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{NED}} }}
 {{MedalCompetition | World Championships }}
  {{Medal|Bronze | 2003 |[[Tornado (sailboat)|Tornado]] }}
 {{MedalCompetition | European Championships }}
  {{Medal|Gold | 2004 | [[Tornado (sailboat)|Tornado]] }}
  {{Medal|Silver | 2002 | [[Tornado (sailboat)|Tornado]] }}
  {{Medal|Bronze | 2005 | [[Tornado (sailboat)|Tornado]] }}
| show-medals    = yes
| updated        = 12 February 2014
}}

'''Mitchell Jay "Mitch" Booth''' (born 4 January 1963, in [[Sydney]]) is a [[sailing (sport)|sailor]] from [[Australia]],<ref name="A" /> who represented his native country for the first time at the [[Sailing at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]]. Booth as helmsman in the Australian [[Sailing at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Tornado|Tornado]] with [[John Forbes (sailor)|John Forbes]] as crew took Bronze. In [[Sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996]],  Booth made a second appearance this time with crew member [[Andrew Landenberger]] the team took the Silver in the [[Sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Tornado|Tornado]]. In [[Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004]], [[Athens]] Booth represented the [[Netherlands]] as helmsman of the Dutch [[Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Tornado|Tornado]].<ref name="B" /><ref name="C" /> With crew member [[Herbert Dercksen]] Booth took 5th place.<ref name="D" /> His final Olympic appearance came during the [[Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Summer Olympics]]<ref name="E" /> in [[Qingdao]]. Now with crew member [[Pim Nieuwenhuis]] in the Dutch [[Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Tornado|Tornado]], Booth finished 5th.<ref name="F" />

==Sailing career==
Booth started his sailing career at the age of four, when his mother taught him the basics on [[Pittwater]]. Alongside his father John (Jay) Booth won his first State Championship as a seven-year-old boy. His father honored his desire to skipper and compete in international competitions.   His first break-through came at the age of seventeen, when finishing second in an Australian Championship. This achievement guaranteed his participation at the World Championship in the [[United States]]. From a fleet of over hundred boats representing nine countries, he and his crew went on to win the title. Since then Booth has made his life as a professional sailor. The projects have varied from Olympic sailing to Ocean racing and to keel boat racing. Off the water he has been involved in many sailing related activities including the creation of the current Olympic Tornado class Rig, design and build of A Class cats, the creation of Volvo [[Extreme 40]], sailing Manager for America's cup team (1995) and technical adviser to ISAF.

In total he took part in 64 World Championships, becoming World Champion a total of ten times. In the 50 national championships in which he took part he took the title a total of 13 times. He has won 23 out of 47 Australian State Championships in which he performed. He won eight European titles since becoming Dutch in sixteen starts. He took part in four Olympics.  In [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] he was coach of the Australian national team squad.

==Awards and records==
He has been named the 1992 [[Australian Yachtsman of the Year]], the 1993 Caltex Sports Star finalist, three times NSW Yachtsman of the Year, the 1995 America's Cup sailing manager, the 1996 MMI Sports Star finalist, the 1996 Australian Yachtsman of the Year and the 2004 Dutch Sailor of the year. He was also crew member of the boats holding the previous World 24-hour distance record and Transatlantic ([[Cádiz]] to [[San Salvador Island|San Salvador]]) record holder (ClubMed) and the current Round Britain and Ireland record ([[PlayStation (yacht)]]).<ref name="G" /><ref name="H" />

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
 <ref name="A">{{cite web
   |url        = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/mitch-booth-1.html
   |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418093448/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bo/mitch-booth-1.html
   |url-status = dead
   |archive-date = 18 April 2020
   |title      = Mitch Booth Bio, Stats, and Results
   |publisher  = Sports-Reference.com
   |work       = Olympic Sports
   |accessdate = 12 February 2014
  }}</ref>
 <ref name="B">{{cite web
   |url        = http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2844/Archief/archief/article/detail/693189/2004/05/17/Zeilteam-Thies-plaatst-zich-maar-nipt-voor-Athene.dhtml
   |title      = Zeilteam-Thies plaatst zich maar nipt voor Athene
   |work = VK
 |publisher  = De Volkskrant
   |date       = 2004-05-17
   |accessdate = 12 February 2014
  }}</ref>
 <ref name="C">{{cite web
   |url        = http://www.nu.nl/athene2004/381398/team-thies-verliest-terrein.html
   |title      = Team-Thies verliest
   |publisher  = Nu.nl
   |date       = 18 August 2004
   |accessdate = 12 February 2014
  }}</ref>
 <ref name="D">{{cite web
   |url        = http://www.nu.nl/athene2004/388635/ook-boothdercksen-buiten-podium.html
   |title      = Ook Booth/Dercksen buiten podium
   |publisher  = Nu.nl
   |date       = 28 August 2004
   |accessdate = 12 February 2014
  }}</ref>
 <ref name="E">{{cite web
   |url        = http://www.watersportalmanak.nl/nieuws/38335-eerste-zeilers-gekwalificeerd-
   |title      = Eerste zeilers gekwalificeerd voor Olympische Spelen Beijing 2008
   |work       = watersportalmanak.nl
   |accessdate = 12 February 2014
  }}</ref>
 <ref name="F">{{cite web
   |url        = http://www.gelderlander.nl/sport/2.2184/stromingsinformatie-voor-zeilploeg-1.2716978
   |title      = Stromingsinformatie voor zeilploeg
   |publisher  = De Gelderlander
   |accessdate = 12 February 2014
  }}</ref>
 <ref name="G">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/historical-list-of-offshore-world-records.html 
 |title=WSSRC: Transatlantic records 
 |accessdate=12 February 2014 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129130934/http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/historical-list-of-offshore-world-records.html 
 |archivedate=29 November 2013 
}}</ref>
 <ref name="H">{{cite web
   |url        = http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/24-hour-distance-records.html
   |title      = WSSRC: Distance records
   |accessdate = 20 August 2008
  }}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{World Sailing|id=AUSMB42|www=mitch-booth}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|mitch-booth}}
* {{AOC}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{s-start}}
 {{s-ach|awards}}
 {{s-bef|before=[[John Dransfield (sailor)|John Dransfield]]}}
 {{s-ttl|title=Australian Yachtsman of the Year |with =  [[John Forbes (sailor)|John Forbes]] | years='''1991–1992'''}}
 {{s-aft|after=[[Syd Fischer]]}}
 {{s-bef|before=[[David Adams (sailor)|David Adams]]}}
 {{s-ttl|title=Australian Yachtsman of the Year|years='''1995–1996'''}}
 {{s-aft|after=[[Chris Nicholson (sailor)|Chris Nicholson]] & [[Daniel Phillips (sailor)|Daniel Phillips]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer World Champions Open Tornado}}
{{1992AustralianOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{1996AustralianOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{2004DutchOlympicSailingTeam}}
{{2008DutchOlympicSailingTeam}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Mitch}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian male sailors (sport)]]
[[Category:Dutch male sailors (sport)]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Tornado]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Tornado]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Tornado]]
[[Category:Sailors at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Tornado]]
[[Category:Olympic sailors for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic sailors for the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in sailing]]
[[Category:China Team sailors]]
[[Category:Extreme Sailing Series sailors]]
[[Category:Sailors (sport) from Sydney]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Tornado class world champions]]
[[Category:F18 class world champions]]
[[Category:World champions in sailing for Australia]]
[[Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century Dutch sportsmen]]