Sarah Douglas calls time on Olympic sailing career but plans to continue racing

Sarah Douglas of Canada sails before the start of the ILCA 6 women's dinghy class final race during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Sarah Douglas has called time on her Olympic sailing career. But new challenges await, on and off the water.

The 31-year-old from Toronto, who now makes her home in New York, competed at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics in the ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) class. Her sixth-place finish in 2021 in Tokyo remains the best finish by a Canadian woman in an individual Olympic sailing event.

She was eighth at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Her trophy case includes a gold medal from the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and silver from the 2023 Pan Ams in Santiago, Chile.

Douglas was twice named Sail Canada’s Rolex Sailor of the Year (2019 and 2020-2021). She is a six-time recipient of Sail Canada Gallagher Skipper’s Plan Athlete of the Year Award (2018 to 2024), which rewards athletes who have enjoyed “outstanding achievement in competition,” brought recognition to Canadian sailing and set an example through leadership and sportsmanship.

“Sarah Douglas perfectly embodies the spirit of sailing, having demonstrated discipline and perseverance throughout her career,” Fiona Cochrane, chair of Sail Canada’s board of directors, said in a statement. “Sarah has also demonstrated the power of inclusion, diversity and equity in our sport, and she remains an idol for the next generation of sailors from all different regions, backgrounds, and origins.”

In the wake of Paris — and time off after hip surgery — Douglas thought about a third Olympics but decided against continuing on to L.A. in 2028.

“Getting to an Olympic Games and the podium requires a deep burning fire every day that I just didn’t have any more,” she said. “That’s ultimately what led me to stepping away from Olympic sailing.”

But not stepping away from sailing.

Next September, Douglas will take part in the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women’s International Championship off Newport, R.I. Douglas is putting together an all-Canadian crew of 10 women to compete in a 37-foot IC37 keelboat in a field of 20 international elite teams.

“A new dynamic. A new challenge,” said Douglas, who will drive and captain the big boat. “I’m very excited about the team.”

It’s a far cry from the one-woman ILCA 6 which measures 14 feet.

“Going out in big waves and big winds can sometimes be a bit on the scary side,” she said with a giggle. “But it’s also exhilarating and it can be really fun … At the end of the day, it’s just me in the boat which, I guess, has its pros and cons as well.”

Racing in a 45-boat field at the Olympics, the ILCA 6 is all about tactics and strategy. Competitors take part in 10 races, throwing out their worst showing, with the top 10 sailors carrying their points into the medal race, which comes with double the points -- and double the stress.

In Tokyo, Douglas went into the medal race in fourth position, only to drop two places. In Paris, she improved to eighth from 10th after a third-place showing in the medal race.

Born in Burlington, Ont., Douglas started sailing at the age of seven after her parents took the family back to their native Barbados (her older brother Greg represented Barbados in sailing at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics).

Returning to Canada at the age of 14, she became an elite youth sailor and represented Canada at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. But Douglas stepped away from competition for two years in the wake of finishing runner-up at the 2010 Youth Nationals after leading until the last day.

“I just got too competitive when it came to sailing … That second place broke me,” she said.

She coached young sailors at Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club for two summers. But she rediscovered her passion for competition at 18 after hearing Olympic trampoline champion Rosie MacLennan speak.

Douglas says she completely changed her mindset in returning to the sport.

“It was less about just the result but more about the journey. And that’s what Rosie really shared about,” she said.

MacLennan became a mentor. And her message stuck.

“I’m so proud of just the journey and who I became in the process, outside of all the medals and the achievements,” Douglas said. “Just who you become chasing that Olympic dream, the skills that you learn, the people that you get to work with. I think that’s what I’m most proud of when I look back at the 10 years.”

It has taken a village. Douglas will forever be grateful to Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club, which helped raise more than $300,000 to help finance her sailing exploits.

Douglas met her husband, Lance Fraser, at a regatta when they competed against each other as kids. The day before their wedding this summer in Toronto, the couple took part in a regatta with some of their guests.

Douglas plans to continue her role as athlete director on Sail Canada’s board while looking to build a career in sports marketing.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press