Alexandra Rickham

Alexandra Rickham
Personal information
NationalityBritish / Jamaican
Born (1981-09-11) 11 September 1981 (age 45)
Kingston, Jamaica
Sailing career
SportSailing
ClubWeymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Medal record
Sailing
Representing  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
Bronze medal – third place2012 LondonMixed Two Person SKUD18
Bronze medal – third place2016 RioMixed Two Person SKUD18
Para World Sailing Championships
Silver medal – second place2015 Para World Sailing ChampionshipsMixed Two Person SKUD18

Alexandra Rickham (born 11 September 1981) is a British Paralympic sailor and leader in sustainability within sport.

Personal life

Rickham was born on 11 September 1981 in Kingston, Jamaica, before attending boarding school in the UK from the age of 12. She is a tetraplegic athlete who became disabled as a result of a shallow diving accident in 1995. Rickham cites Sylvia Earle as an inspiring role model for her climate and ocean advocacy work continuing even in her 9th decade.

Sailing

Rickham competed in the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition in the SKUD 18 two person keelboat class, where she finished in fifth place. In 2011 following back to back IFDS World Championship wins she was shortlisted by the International Sailing Federation for the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Awards.

Rickham was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London, United Kingdom. She competed in the SKUD 18 - 2 person keelboat event, alongside teammate Niki Birrell. The duo started strongly, winning two of the first five races, but form slipped slightly in the later races but their performance was still good enough to win the bronze medal. In 2015 with the same crew Rickham won silver in the Para World Sailing Championships. Rickham has 5 consecutive World titles in partnership with Birrell, maintaining a number 1 ranking for 6 years

Education

Rickham undertook a degree in Natural Sciences at the University of Bath with an initial focus on biology before switching specialisms to environmental studies and graduating in 2004. She followed this with a Masters in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, her dissertation title was Carbon Neutrality on the Isle of Man as an Example of an Island State.

Professional Life

Rickham was a consultant at Earth to Ocean working first as a consultant and then as their Diversity and Impact manager setting up SailGPs sustainability programme. In 2022 Rickham was appointed Director of Sustainability at World Sailing, with a remit to lead their sustainability agenda 2030, in 2024 she was appointed as Technical Delegate for Paris 2024. Rickham is an Ambassador for Ecoathletes and serves on their advisory board.

References

  1. ↑ "Alexandra Rickham". British Paralympic Association. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Team Profile: Alexandra Rickham" (PDF). Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Lew (22 June 2017). "Alexandra Rickham, Paralympic Sailor and Eco-Warrior – GreenSportsBlog". Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Alexandra Rickham". Leaders Club. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Alex Rickham". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Paralympics 2012: Britain's Helena Lucas wins sailing gold". BBC Sport. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "Para World Sailing Championships: Great Britain win silver". BBC Sport. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Features, Niamh McCollum published in (12 September 2020). "I became a Paralympic champion after I was paralysed". Marie Claire UK. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 "World Sailing - World Sailing Appoints Alexandra Rickham as Head of Sustainability". World Sailing. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "World Sailing - World Sailing Sustainability Lead appointed as Paris 2024 Technical Delegate". World Sailing. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Alexandra Rickham". Yacht Racing Forum. Retrieved 3 June 2026.