The Para Sailor of the Year is awarded to recognise an individual’s outstanding contributions to para sailing in Australia. 

Defending champion and six-time winner Chris Symonds (TAS) and 2023–24 winner Genevieve Wickham (WA) are joined on the finalist list by newly crowned Australian Para Champion Gregory Myers (NSW/ACT). 

The nation’s peak sailing awards will be held at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour on Friday, October 30, with the winners set to join an illustrious honour roll including Paralympic and world champions and legends of the sport. 

The Finalists: 

Gregory Myers 

Gregory Myers produced a dominant season in the Hansa 303 Single division, claiming both the Australian Para Championship and the open Australian Hansa Championship. 

In November 2025 he took on a demanding program at Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, where the International Classes Regatta and the Australian Para Championship were run concurrently. Racing in a tough combined fleet, Gregory won the Hansa 303 one-person fleet at the ICR while also claiming the Australian Para Championship. 

He backed that up at Easter 2026, winning the Hansa 303 Single division at the open Australian Hansa Championships and proving his capability against both para and open fleets. 

A highly respected member of the Dobroyd Aquatic Club community, Gregory leads by example with excellent sportsmanship. He is always approachable in the rigging area, happy to share tactical insights or lend a hand with boat set-up, and also volunteers at Middle Harbour Sailability. 

Gregory is planning to compete at the World Masters Games in Kansai, Japan, and hopes to race at further para and Hansa events in Europe. 

Chris Symonds 

Defending Para Sailor of the Year Chris Symonds finished the 2025–26 season ranked fourth in the world in World Sailing’s Two Person (Inclusive) para rankings. 

Racing with crew Manuela Klinger, Chris finished 10th at the World Sailing Inclusion Championships in December 2025 in the Para Inclusive Two PersonKeelboat and won the Australian Hansa Championships in the Hansa 303 two-persondivision.  

Chris is the long-serving Commodore of Wynyard Yacht Club, where he has steered the club to be community-focused, with a wide range of programs for existing and new members and a particular focus on youth, fun and safety. He is involved in the club’s Sailability and Saturday Sailing programs and MAST training and testing, and is Commander of the Wynyard Surf Rescue. 

His contribution to inclusive sailing extends well beyond his club. Chris chairs the Tasmanian Regional Advisory Committee, is Sailability Tasmania’s North West representative and the Australian Hansa Class representative for Tasmania, sits on the board of the International RS Venture Connect Class and is an Australian Sailing accredited coach. 

Genevieve Wickham 

Genevieve Wickham claimed gold at the 2026 RS Venture Connect European Championship during TravemünderWoche in July, also winning the Inclusive Championship against a world-class fleet of 26 boats from ten nations. 

Sailing with Grant Alderson, the Royal Perth Yacht Club sailor continues to build on an outstanding international record and has displayed dominance across the years.The pair were crowned 2023 RS Venture Connect Inclusive World Champions in Rostock, Germany, where they also won bronze at the Inclusion World Championship for Sailing, before returning to defend their title in 2024. 

Beyond her results, Genevieve is an outstanding ambassador for inclusive sailing. Her resilience, determination and passion for the sport continue to inspire sailors of all ages and abilities. Following a life-changing stroke in 2001, Genevieve has become a powerful example of perseverance, demonstrating that sailing provides opportunities for everyone to compete, achieve and belong.  

Through her sportsmanship and advocacy, Genevieve continues to break down barriers and promote sailing as a sport where ability, teamwork and determination define success. 

Previous winners: 

2024-25 Chris Symonds 

2023-24 Genevieve Wickham 

2022-23 Chris Symonds 

2021-22 Chris Symonds 

2020-21 Chris Symonds 

2019-20 Chris Symonds 

2018-19 Chris Symonds 

2017-18 Chelseanne Osborne 

2015-16 Australian Paralympic Sailing Team 

2014-15 Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch 

2013-14 Daniel Fitzgibbon, Liesl Tesch, Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris, Russel Boaden & Matthew Bugg 

2012-13 Collin Harrison, Jonathan Harris & Russell Boaden 

2011-12 Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch 

2010-11 Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch 

2009-10 Angus MacGregor 

2008-09 Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox 

2007-08 Daniel Fitzgibbon and Rachael Cox 

2006-07 Paul Borg & Kylie Forth 

2005-06 Paul Borg and Don Scott 

2004-05 Joint winners Jamie Dunross, Colin Harrison, Jeff Milligan 

2003-04 Joint winners Andrew Hartley and Daniel Fitzgibbon 

2002-03 Joint winners Paul Borg and Lindsay Dalmon 

2001-02 Wayne Thomson 

2000-01 Vinny Lauwers 

1999-00 Peter Thompson