# Billy Besson

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Billy_Besson
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Billy_Besson.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Besson
> Source revision: 1355275287
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|French competitive sailor (born 1981)}}
{{Infobox sailor
| name           = Billy Besson
| image          = BILLYBESSON HELMSMAN FRANCE.png
| imagesize      = 
| caption        = 
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = 
| nickname       = 
| nationality    = French
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1981|3|8|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [Papeete](/source/Papeete), French Polynesia
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = 1.70 m
| weight         = 70 kg
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport|[Sailing](/source/Sailing_(sport))}}
{{MedalCountry|{{FRA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[World Championships](/source/World_Championships_in_Sailign)}}
{{MedalGold| Dart 18 | [2008](/source/Dart_18_World_Championship)}}
{{MedalGold| Formula 18 | [2013](/source/Formula_18_World_Championship)}}
{{MedalGold| Nacra 17 | [2013](/source/Nacra_17_World_Championship)}}
{{MedalGold| Nacra 17 | [2014](/source/2014_ISAF_Sailing_World_Championships_%E2%80%93_Nacra_17)}}
{{MedalGold| Nacra 17 | [2015](/source/Nacra_17_World_Championship)}}
}}

'''Billy Besson''' (born 8 March 1981) is a [French](/source/French_people) competitive [sailor](/source/sailing_(sport)).

Besson was born in [Papeete](/source/Papeete), French Polynesia where multihulls are central to the sailing culture. A child of [Tahiti](/source/Tahiti), he lived there with his family and learned to sail there.

World champion on the Dart 18 and F18, Besson has also amassed four world championship titles in the [Nacra 17](/source/Nacra_17), forming a dynamic duo with [Marie Riou](/source/Marie_Riou). The skipper's serious back injury deprived the pair of their chance to vie for the Olympic title in [Rio 2016](/source/2016_Summer_Olympics) but, with unfinished business, the pair went back campaigning for [Tokyo 2020](/source/2020_Summer_Olympics).
In 2018, whilst Riou was taking part in the Volvo Ocean Race, Besson was discovering offshore sailing for himself competing with two of France's most prestigious maxi-trimaran campaigns. (Sodebo with Thomas Coville / Banque Populaire with Armel le Cleac'h)

From 2018 to October 2021, Billy was part of [SailGP](/source/SailGP), as the French skipper of Sail GP.
<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sailgp.com/fr/teams/france/ |title=France SailGP Team |website=SailGP |access-date=2020-08-01 |archive-date=2020-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924180512/https://sailgp.com/fr/teams/france/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Participation in Olympics ==
He competed at the [2016 Summer Olympics](/source/2016_Summer_Olympics) in [Rio de Janeiro](/source/Rio_de_Janeiro), in the [mixed Nacra 17](/source/Sailing_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Nacra_17).The duo ended 6th.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/billy-besson |title=Billy Besson |website=rio2016.com |access-date=14 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806044635/https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/billy-besson |archive-date=6 August 2016 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{World Sailing|id=FRABB4|www=billy-besson}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|billy-besson}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{CNOSF profile|9/besson-24639}}

{{Footer World Champions Nacra 17}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Besson, Billy}}
Category:1981 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Papeete
Category:French male sailors (sport)
Category:Olympic sailors for France
Category:Sailors at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Nacra 17
Category:Dart 18 class world champions
Category:Nacra 17 class world champions
Category:F18 class world champions
Category:France SailGP Team sailors
Category:World champions in sailing for France
Category:21st-century French sportsmen

{{France-sailing-bio-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Billy Besson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Besson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Besson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.