Sean O'Brien (born 6 January 1984 in Brisbane) is an Australian professional windsurfer competing on the PWA World TourPWA World Tour Profile 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.Marist College Ashgrove 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.Australian Championships Results
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 2009VOLVO Youth Team Announcement 2009 and Joanna again in 2010.VOLVO Youth Team Announcement 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.SailSydney Event News
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.Sean O'Brien results
Personal life O'Brien works in digital media design as owner of the international agency, Brisbane Digital 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.IFWC Committee
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 GetWindsurfFitSurfer Today Announcement in conjunction with his trainer Nic Pillonel from Switzerland.Nic Pillonel 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.Severne Sails
Sporting achievements Year Competition Venue Position Event 2002Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Melbourne, VIC Formula Windsurfing (Youth)2004Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Sydney, NSW Formula Windsurfing (Youth)2006Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Melbourne, VIC Formula Windsurfing2007Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Fremantle, WA Formula Windsurfing2007Australian RS:X Championships Sydney, NSW RS:X2009Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Sydney, NSW Formula Windsurfing2009Norwegian Windsurfing Championships Larvik, Norway Formula Windsurfing2010Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Hawks Nest, NSW Formula Windsurfing2011Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Hawks Nest, NSW Formula Windsurfing2012Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Hawks Nest, NSW Formula Windsurfing2012Asian Windsurfing Championships Singapore Formula Windsurfing2012PWA Slalom World Cup Ulsan, Korea 24th Slalom2013Australian Slalom Championships Green Island, QLD Slalom2014Australian Slalom Championships Green Island, QLD Slalom2014PWA Slalom World Cup Awaza, Turkmenistan 13th Slalom2014Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Sydney, NSW Formula Windsurfing2018Australian Formula Windsurfing Championships Brisbane, QLD Formula Windsurfing2018Formula Windsurfing European Championships Series Gallipoli Formula Windsurfing
3rd Place - 2018 European Formula Windsurfing Championships2017 European Championship Results Ranked number 7 in the World in Formula Windsurfing 2012 8x Australian & Oceanic Formula Windsurfing ChampionAustralian Champions List 2x Australian Slalom ChampionAustralian Slalom Champions 2012 Asian Windsurfing Champion2012 Asian Championships, Surfer Today 2009 Norwegian Windsurfing ChampionFormulaWindsurfing.org 2007 Australian Olympic Windsurfing Champion
References
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