A former youth world champion in the 29er and a member of the 2017 Youth America’s Cup team, Wilkinson has plenty of experience and success in the Nacra 17.
He switched from crewing to helming when joining forces with Erica Dawson four years ago, and the duo have since broken into the top 10 on the world rankings.
They finished 12th at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, their debut at the event.
Yet sailing was not always at the top of Wilkinson's list as he tried all sorts of sports in his school days at Cambridge High School - from go-karting to rugby and adventure racing to water polo. It probably didn’t help that he couldn’t find a boat at his club on Lake Ngaroto that went fast enough to satisfy his need for speed.
It also wasn’t until he jumped in a 29er with Isaac McHardie, who hails from Hamilton, and won the 2013 youth sailing world championships that he realised he could have a future in the sport.
Wilkinson soon teamed up with Liv Mackay in a Nacra 17 and the pair went on to win the 2016 under-23 Nacra world championships and first ever Red Bull foiling generation world title in 2016. They followed that up with a 10th-placed finish at the 2017 Nacra world championships despite taking possession of their foiling catamaran only three days before racing started.
Wilkinson and Dawson placed seventh at the 2020 Nacra 17 world championships in Melbourne, a result which helped them gain selection for Tokyo, and started the 2023 season with a bronze at the Lanzarote International Regatta and finished 10th at the French Olympic week regatta.
Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson have been sailing together since 2019. Photo / Sailing Energy
Career highlights
- 2023 French Olympic week (Nacra 17): 10th
- 2023 Lanzarote International Regatta (Nacra 17): 3rd
- 2022 World championships (Nacra 17): 9th
- 2022 French Olympic week (Nacra 17): 5th
- 2022 European championships (Nacra 17): 2nd
- 2022 Kiel Week (Nacra 17): 4th
- 2022 World Cup Palma (Nacra 17): 6th
- 2022 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (49er FX): 3rd
- 2021 Spain SailGP (Foiling50): 5th
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (Nacra 17): 12th
- 2020 World championships (Nacra 17): 7th
- 2019 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (Nacra 17): 2nd
- 2018 Kiel Week (Nacra 17): 10th
- 2018 World Cup Palma (Nacra 17): 10th
- 2018 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (Nacra 17): 3rd
- 2017 World championships (Nacra 17): 10th
- 2016 World Cup Melbourne (Nacra 17): 2nd
- 2016 Sail Auckland (Nacra 17): 2nd
- 2015 Oceanbridge NZL Sailing Regatta (49er FX): 2nd
- 2014 World championships (29er): 5th
- 2014 youth world championships (Sirena SL16): 5th
- 2013 youth world championships (Sirena SL16): 5th