| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | (1984-01-06) 6 January 1984 (age 40) Brisbane, Australia |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Australia |
| Sport | Sailing |
| Event | Windsurfing |
| Club | Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron |
Sean O'Brien (born 6 January 1984 in Brisbane) is an Australian professional windsurfer competing on the PWA World Tour and the International Formula Windsurfing Class Tour. He was ranked 7th in the World in Formula Windsurfing in 2012 and has won 11 Australian Windsurfing Titles across three racing disciplines, the most of any Australian windsurfer.
Early life
O'Brien grew up in Brisbane, Australia, finishing high school at Marist College Ashgrove as a notable alumni. He earned a Bachelor of Psychological Science/Biomedical Science degree at the University of Queensland in 2004.
Career
In 2018, O'Brien won his 8th Oceanic & Australian Title in Formula Windsurfing at the Downunder Pro at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Brisbane.
Coaching
O'Brien worked for three years as the windsurfing coach for the QLD State High Performance Sailing unit at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron club in Brisbane. During this term he successfully qualified Australian youth sailors Luke Baillie and Joanna Sterling to represent Australia at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in 2009 and Joanna again in 2010.
Later he coached five-time Olympian and two-time PBA World Champion Jessica Crisp to her first ISAF World Cup gold medal in 2009 at the SailMelbourne regatta and a clean sweep of the Australian Sail-Downunder Series by also taking gold in the SailSydney regatta at Woollahra Sailing Club in the RS:X Olympic class.
Olympic campaign
O'Brien campaigned for the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the RS:X Olympic board for two years during 2006-2007 before a back injury ended his campaign in late 2007, despite winning the 2007 Australian Olympic Windsurfing Championships and being in the box seat for a successful Beijing Olympics berth.
Personal life
O'Brien works in digital media design as owner of the international agency, Brisbane Digital Agency. He divides his time between summer in Australia and winter in Europe to compete on the Pro Windsurfing Tours and contribute to the tours as a committee member of the International Formula Windsurfing Class.
He is based in Poland with his son, John O'Brien and partner Agata, the grand-daughter of prominent Polish military general Mieczysław Dachowski.
In 2012 O'Brien launched the first ever windsurfing fitness training program GetWindsurfFit in conjunction with his trainer Nic Pillonel from Switzerland. The book was widely received and is being translated into another three languages for future release.
Professional status
- Member of IFWC International Committee
- Vice-President Australian Windsurfing Association 2010-2011
- Australian Sailing Team Windsurfing Coach 2009
- QLD State High Performance Sailing Coach 2008-2010
- Part of the international racing and development teams for Severne, Starboard.
Sporting achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Melbourne, VIC
|
|
Formula Windsurfing (Youth) |
| 2004 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Sydney, NSW
|
|
Formula Windsurfing (Youth) |
| 2006 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Melbourne, VIC
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2007 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Fremantle, WA
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2007 | Australian RS:X Championships | Sydney, NSW
|
|
RS:X |
| 2009 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Sydney, NSW
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2009 | Norwegian Windsurfing Championships |  Larvik, Norway
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2010 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Hawks Nest, NSW
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2011 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Hawks Nest, NSW
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2012 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Hawks Nest, NSW
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2012 | Asian Windsurfing Championships |  Singapore
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2012 | PWA Slalom World Cup |  Ulsan, Korea
|
24th | Slalom |
| 2013 | Australian Slalom Championships | Green Island, QLD
|
|
Slalom |
| 2014 | Australian Slalom Championships | Green Island, QLD
|
|
Slalom |
| 2014 | PWA Slalom World Cup |  Awaza, Turkmenistan
|
13th | Slalom |
| 2014 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Sydney, NSW
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2018 | Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships | Brisbane, QLD
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
| 2018 | Formula Windsurfing European Championships Series |  Gallipoli
|
|
Formula Windsurfing |
- 3rd Place - 2018 European Formula Windsurfing Championships
- Ranked number 7 in the World in Formula Windsurfing 2012
- 8x Australian & Oceanic Formula Windsurfing Champion
- 2x Australian Slalom Champion
- 2012 Asian Windsurfing Champion
- 2009 Norwegian Windsurfing Champion
- 2007 Australian Olympic Windsurfing Champion
References
- PWA World Tour Profile
- "IFWC Profile". Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- IFWC World Rankings 2012
- "Previous Winners – Downunder Pro | FW Australia".
- "The Champions – Green Island Nationals". downunderpro.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020.
- Marist College Ashgrove Notable Alumni
- Australian Championships Results
- VOLVO Youth Team Announcement 2009
- VOLVO Youth Team Announcement 2010
- SailSydney Event News
- Sean O'Brien results
- Brisbane Digital Agency
- IFWC Committee
- Surfer Today Announcement
- Nic Pillonel
- Severne Sails
- 2017 European Championship Results
- IFWC World Rankings 2012
- Australian Champions List
- Australian Slalom Champions
- 2012 Asian Championships, Surfer Today
- FormulaWindsurfing.org
External links
- Sean's official website
- Fitness Training Book
- Sean's blog on high performance windsurfing
- Sean and Agata Bialas' travel blog
- Sean's international digital agency
- PWA World Tour Profile