{{short description|Australian sailor}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} {{Use Australian English|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox sailor | name = Chris Nicholson | image = Chris Nicholson, Volvo Ocean Race 2014.jpg | image_size = | caption = Nicholson at the Volvo Ocean Race 2014 | full_name = Christopher John Nicholson | nickname = | nationality = | birth_date = {{birth-date and age|18 June 1969}} | birth_place = [[Newcastle, New South Wales]] | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | classes = | club = | collegeteam = | coach = | medaltemplates = | show-medals = | updated = }}
'''Christopher John Nicholson''' (born 18 June 1969)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://members.sailing.org/biog?unique=1501103900.5995&isafid=AUSCN1&js=1 |title=Sailor Biography |website=sailing.org |accessdate=26 July 2017}}</ref> is an Australian [[sailor (sport)|sailor]] who has competed in multiple [[Summer Olympics]] and [[Volvo Ocean Race]]s and has won six World championships.
==Sailing career== In 1992, Chris and his brother [[Darren Nicholson|Darren]] won the [[505 (dinghy)|505]] World Championships in Santa Cruz. The pair also won the 1994 World Championships in Durban and the 2002 World Championships in Fremantle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sailing.org.au/nicholson-brothers-triple-505-world-champions/ |title=Nicholson brothers triple 505 world champions – Australian Sailing |website=www.sailing.org.au |accessdate=26 July 2017}}</ref>
Nicholson then started competing in the [[49er (dinghy)|49er]] class with [[Daniel Phillips (sailor)|Daniel Phillips]]. Nicholson and Phillips won the 1997 [[Kiel Week]] event and then won the 1997 [[49er & 49er FX World Championships|49er World Championships]] in Perth. Nicholson defended the title twice, winning the 1998 event in Bandol together before Nicholson won the 1999 event in Melbourne with [[Ed Smyth]]. Nicholson and Phillips then won the 2000 European Championships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://49er.org/event/champions/ |title=Champions |website=49er.org |accessdate=26 July 2017 |archive-date=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703035434/http://49er.org/event/champions/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Nicholson represented [[Australia at the 2000 Summer Olympics]], sailing a 49er with Phillips and placing [[Sailing at the 2000 Summer Olympics – 49er|sixth in the competition]].<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference}}</ref> He then competed in his first [[Volvo Ocean Race]], sailing in the [[2001–02 Volvo Ocean Race|2001–02 event]] as a watch captain on ''[[Amer Sports One]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/people/426_Chris-Nicholson.html |title=Chris Nicholson |first=Volvo Ocean |last=Race |website=Volvo Ocean Race |accessdate=26 July 2017 |archive-date=4 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704085521/http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/people/426_Chris-Nicholson.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Nicholson again represented [[Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics]], sailing in the 49er class with [[Gary Boyd (sailor)|Gary Boyd]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sail-world.com/NZ/Tough-assignment-for-Boyd-and-Nicholson-in-Olympic-49ers/14345 |title=Tough assignment for Boyd and Nicholson in Olympic 49ers |publisher=Sail-world.com |date=2004-08-06 |accessdate=2018-09-30}}</ref> They [[Sailing at the 2004 Summer Olympics – 49er|placed seventh in the event]].
He then returned to the Volvo Ocean Race, sailing with ''[[Movistar]]'' in [[2005–06 Volvo Ocean Race|2005–06]] and then with ''Il Mostro'' in [[2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race|2008–09]].
In 2009, Nicholson returned to compete in the 505 World Championships, placing third with [[Casey Smith (sailor)|Casey Smith]].
For the [[2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race]], Nicholson skippered ''[[Camper Lifelovers]]'', placing second. He was the skipper of ''[[Team Vestas Wind]]'', which was a late entry for the [[2014–15 Volvo Ocean Race]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sailinganarchy.com/2014/08/02/lucky-number-7/ |title=lucky number 7 |date=2 August 2014 |website=Sailing Anarchy |accessdate=26 July 2017}}</ref> On 30 November 2014, during a night navigation, Team Vestas Wind grounded on a coral atoll of [[St. Brandon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Grounded |url=http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/news/8084_Grounded.html |website=Volvo Ocean Race official website |accessdate=30 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205050556/http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/news/8084_Grounded.html |archive-date=5 December 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Team Vestas Wind was able to rejoin the race for the final two legs. He then competed in the 2016 [[Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race]] on ''[[Perpetual Loyal]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/chris-nicholson-sets-sail-for-sydney-to-hobart-after-surviving-shipwreck/news-story/cc76a865f14e4dc771ef16be7fbe6534 |title=Subscribe – dailytelegraph |website=www.dailytelegraph.com.au |accessdate=26 July 2017}}</ref>
In 2017 he is a crew member of the [[Team AkzoNobel]] in [[2017–18 Volvo Ocean Race]] starting from the leg 2.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nicholson and Niekerk boost team AkzoNobel line up ahead of Lisbon to Cape Town leg |url=https://www.teamakzonobel.com/news/nicholson-and-niekerk-boost-team-akzonobel-line-up-ahead-of-lisbon-to-cape-town-leg |website=Team AkzoNobel |accessdate=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107164957/https://www.teamakzonobel.com/news/nicholson-and-niekerk-boost-team-akzonobel-line-up-ahead-of-lisbon-to-cape-town-leg |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{World Sailing|id=AUSCN1|www=chris-nicholson}} * {{Olympedia}} * {{Olympics.com profile|chris-nicholson}} * {{AOC profile|christopher-nicholson|Christopher Nicholson}}
{{Footer World Champions 505}} {{Footer World Champions 49er}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Chris}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Australian male sailors (sport)]] [[Category:Olympic sailors for Australia]] [[Category:Sailors at the 2000 Summer Olympics – 49er]] [[Category:Sailors at the 2004 Summer Olympics – 49er]] [[Category:Volvo Ocean Race sailors]] [[Category:Team New Zealand sailors]] [[Category:49er class world champions]] [[Category:505 class world champions]] [[Category:World champions in sailing for Australia]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales]] [[Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales]] [[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]