Aleh needs little introduction, as a two-time women’s 470 Olympic medallist, former world champion and a former Female World Sailor of the Year.
From west Auckland, Aleh's first introduction to sailing was watching Team New Zealand win the 1995 America's Cup. She competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in the Laser Radial (ILCA 6) before teaming up with Polly Powrie in the women's 470 a year later.
Team Jolly, as Aleh and Powrie were known, won the gold medal at the 2012 London Games and followed it up with silver four years later in Rio de Janeiro. Aleh retired from top-level sailing soon after and among the various projects she tackled was coaching Nacra 17 pair Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
After a five-year hiatus, Aleh jumped into a new class and partnership at the start of 2022 - joining Olympic silver medallist Molly Meech in the 49er FX with the aim of being competitive in Paris in 2024.
The duo have managed several top-20 results against the rest of the international fleet in their first few seasons together.
Aleh has also raced for the New Zealand SailGP team and Live Ocean's ETF26 crew and is presently chair of the World Sailing Athletes Commission. She also sits on the World Sailing board.
Jo Aleh and Molly Meech have been sailing together since the start of 2022. Photo / Sailing Energy
Career highlights
- 2023 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (49er FX): 2nd
- 2023 NZ national championships (49er FX): 2nd
- 2022 North American championships (49er FX): 3rd
- 2022 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (49er FX): 1st
- 2022 NZ national championships (49er FX): 4th
- 2016 Rio Olympic Games (470 women): 2nd
- 2016 French Olympic week (470 women): 4th
- 2016 World championships (470 women): 2nd
- 2015 Rio de Janeiro Olympic test event (470 women): 3rd
- 2015 World championships (470 women): 4th
- 2015 South American championships (470 women): 2nd
- 2015 European championships (470 women): 1st
- 2015 World Cup Weymouth & Portland (470 women): 2nd
- 2015 French Olympic week (470 women): 2nd
- 2015 World Cup Palma (470 women): 1st
- 2015 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (470 women): 1st
- 2015 World Cup Miami (470 women): 1st
- 2015 North American championships (470 women): 7th
- 2014 Sailing world championships (470 women): 2nd
- 2014 Rio de Janeiro Olympic test event (470 women): 1st
- 2014 South American championships (470 women): 2nd
- 2014 European championships (470 women): 3rd
- 2014 French Olympic week (470 women): 1st
- 2014 World Cup Palma (470 women): 1st
- 2013 World Cup Qingdao (470 women): 1st
- 2013 World championships (470 women): 1st
- 2013 European championships (470 women): 2nd
- 2013 Delta Lloyd Regatta (470 women): 1st
- 2013 Garda And Trentino Olympic Week (470 women): 1st
- 2012 London Olympic Games (470 women): 1st
- 2012 Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta (470 women): 1st
- 2012 World championships (470 women): 4th
- 2012 International Spring Cup (470 women): 1st
- 2011 Sailing world championships (470 women): 3rd
- 2011 World Cup Portland & Weymouth (470 women): 4th
- 2011 Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta (470 women): 1st
- 2011 International Spring Cup (470 women): 1st
- 2011 World Cup Palma (470 women): 1st
- 2011 NZ national championships (ILCA 6): 1st
- 2010 Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta (470 women): 8th
- 2010 World championships (470 women): 2nd
- 2010 French Olympic week (470 women): 6th
- 2010 International Spring Cup (470 women): 3rd
- 2010 World Cup Palma (470 women): 5th
- 2009 Sail Melbourne (470 women): 1st
- 2009 Skandia Sail For Gold Regatta (470 women): 2nd
- 2009 World championships (470 women): 6th
- 2009 European championships (470 women): 3rd
- 2009 Delta Lloyd Regatta (470 women): 4th
- 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (ILCA 6): 7th
- 2008 French Olympic week (ILCA 6): 6th
- 2008 Sail Auckland (ILCA 6): 6th
- 2008 NZ national championships (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2009 Sail Melbourne (ILCA 6): 3rd
- 2007 Australian national championships (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2007 Olympic test event (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2007 Sailing world championships (ILCA 6): 8th
- 2007 Kiel Week (ILCA 6): 1st
- 2007 French Olympic week (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2007 World Cup Palma (470 women): 3rd
- 2007 NZ national championships (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2007 Sail Auckland (ILCA 6): 4th
- 2006 World championships (420 women): 1st
- 2006 Qingdao International Regatta (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2006 Holland Regatta (ILCA 6): 3rd
- 2006 ISAF World Sailing Games (ILCA 6): 9th
- 2006 French Olympic week (ILCA 6): 4th
- 2006 NZ national championships (ILCA 6): 1st
- 2005 Australian national championships (ILCA 6): 6th
- 2005 European championships (ILCA 6): 9th
- 2005 NZ national championships (ILCA 6): 5th
- 2005 Sail Auckland (ILCA 6): 4th
- 2004 Australian national championships (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2004 Youth world championships (ILCA 6): 2nd
- 2003 Youth world championships (ILCA 6): 6th
- 2003 Sail Auckland (Europe): 7th