Sailing News  

Grandstand seat for Shirley

Shirley Robertson, Scotland's double Olympic gold medallist (2000 and 2004) is already the most successful female Olympic sailor in history.
 
But for the first time in 16 years, 39 year-old Robertson will be in action in a very different way at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
 
For after being notified last September that she would not be selected to defend her title in Beijing, Robertson has been quietly preparing to make her debut as an Olympic sports commentator this summer.
 
Already a presenter on CNN's 'Main Sail' programme, working in front of the camera isn't entirely new to the sailor who first took to sailing aged seven on Bardowie Loch just north of Glasgow.
 
And though she may wish she was still out on the water fighting for gold, Robertson is looking forward to her challenge as a BBC Olympic reporter.
 
"In some ways live TV reporting is something I'm very excited about. I'm looking forward to my own new challenge. It's not racing, but it is doing something I love and want to do well in and I'll be approaching it (TV work) with the same professionalism as if I was racing."