AT 98, Australia’s oldest surviving Olympian still keeps his competitive edge sharp at the Myall Park Croquet Club and Hawks Nest Bridge Club.

Gordon Ingate OAM’s Olympic sport was sailing, and his story is a long and impressive one which features missed opportunities and eventual success.

Gordon originally won the right to represent Australia in the 1948 London Olympics, but his boss would hear nothing of the six-month steamship journey to get there and back again, and the chance was lost.

Four years later, Gordon was selected to attend Helsinki 1952, but was told to “go back to work”, squashing the dream once more.

Despite missing out on qualification for Melbourne 1956, he happened to race most of the Olympians later in Sydney and beat them all, a sweet victory in and of itself.

Gordon kept applying through all subsequent Olympiads, right up until 1976, when, to the great surprise of his entire crew, they were granted the right to compete at Munich, sailing in the ‘Tempest’ Class.

“My crew and I were surprised to gain the right to go, and calculated we were the oldest, tallest and heaviest yacht crew, and had quite a good time,” Gordon told NOTA.

“Qantas also paid the way this time, which was great!”

In 1972, Gordon skippered the yacht ‘Caprice of Huon’ to come second overall in the 1972 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, as well as the ‘Gretel II’ in the 1977 America’s Cup, among many other accomplishments.

Now, at 98 years young, Gordon still resides in the Cammeray house he built 75 years ago, but makes it up to Hawks Nest weekly, where has a farming property, and actively competes in the local croquet and bridge clubs.

“I am 100 in 18 months, and still sailing, and I hope nothing stops me,” Gordon declared.

“Once an Olympian, always an Olympian.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE