James “Jamie” Wilkinson won a silver medal in the Flying Dutchman class alongside David Wilkins at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.

Wilkinson grew up in Howth, County Dublin, where sailing was central to his early development, and later competed at a high level while studying at Trinity College Dublin.

He met Wilkins in Trinty College but they’re Olympic partership was only formed a few months before their medal winning performance.

Sailing at the 1980 Games was held in Tallinn, Estonia (1,500km from Moscow) and while they didn’t win any of their seven races they were runners-up in four. It was neck-and-neck between them and the top Spaniards until they overtook them in the penultimate race but that left them virtually guaranteed of silver before the final.