James Peters, 31, is a well-known British Sailor born in Tonbridge Wells and joined the British Sailing Team in 2012, now James Peters and skipper Fynn Sterritt representing Great Britain in the high-performance 49er skiff sailing event at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Early Life and Education in Tonbridge Wells
James Peters was born on October 12, 1992, in the town of Tonbridge Wells, located in the county of Kent in southeast England. Now at the age of 31, Peters spent his formative years in Tonbridge Wells.
He attended the University of Bristol, a highly regarded research university, from 2011 to 2014. It was at Bristol that Peters completed his undergraduate degree in physics.
Peters Selected as Part of First Wave for Team GB’s Sailing Squad
James Peters has been chosen alongside skipper Fynn Sterritt to represent Great Britain in the high-performance 49er skiff sailing event at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Peters and Sterritt were among the first athletes officially named to Team GB’s sailing team. Their selection comes nearly 10 years after first partnering together in an Olympic class competition.
Peters expressed the thrill of being selected for Paris, calling it an “awesome feeling”.
Peters and Sterritt reunited with eyes on competing at Paris 2024 after they were surprisingly left off the British sailing team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, despite being ranked #1 in the 49er class at the time.
As part of their qualifying process, Peters and Sterritt tested themselves on the actual Olympic sailing venue in Marseille during a 2022 event. Though they finished 9th at that regatta, the familiarity with the sailing conditions could pay dividends when they return for the Games next year.
In aiming for medal glory, Peters and Sterritt will ride the coattails of Britain’s historic Olympic sailing success. With a record haul of 31 golds and counting
James Peters Sailing Career
James Peters started his sailing career in 2012 when he joined the prestigious British Sailing Team. He took on a training partner role in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, getting his first taste of an Olympic campaign.
It was after Rio 2016 that Peters truly broke through, joining forces with skipper Fynn Sterritt in the high-performance 49er skiff class. The pair rapidly ascended to the top of the rankings, winning back-to-back World Cup gold medals in 2018 and 2019. Their stellar results earned them the #1 world ranking entering 2020, making them favorites to represent Great Britain at that summer’s Tokyo Olympics. Shockingly, Peters and Sterritt were omitted from the British team in favor of reigning European champions Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell.
Peters temporarily walked away from sailing in late 2020 to shift his focus to a business career. At that stage, it appeared his Olympic sailing dreams had come to an abrupt end. However, Peters felt the siren call of competition once again in 2021.
In late 2021, Peters reversed course and reconnected with Sterritt to renew their winning 49er partnership. The decision immediately paid dividends, as the duo won European bronze in 2022 and finished 6th at the 2023 Worlds to formally qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. They earned redemption after their Tokyo disappointment.
