Birthday profile

Sarah Ayton

Sarah Ayton, English sailor

Born
April 9, 1980
Age in 2026
46
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1980

About Sarah Ayton

Sarah Lianne Ayton (born 9 April 1980 in Ashford, Surrey) is an English former professional sailor. She won a gold medal in the Yngling sailing class in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, together with Shirley Robertson and Sarah Webb, and another gold medal in the Yngling sailing class in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, together with Pippa Wilson and Sarah Webb. She retired from competitive sailing in 2011, citing the competing demands of motherhood. In 2015 Ayton was the winner of the Female World Sailor of the Year Awards – "the highest award a sailor can receive in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the world of sailing". Having been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours, Ayton was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. She was awarded an honorary MSc by the University of Chichester in 2009.She is divorced from windsurfer Nick Dempsey. Together, they have two sons Thomas-Flynn, who was born on 28 June 2009 and Oscar-Flynn George who was born on 7 March 2012. Sarah married Ashley Harris 12 February 2022 Ayton is a patron of Meningitis UK. Ayton battled with meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia in 1995, when she was aged 14. In 2015 she visited Bosham sailing club, to present prizes at the racing prizegiving. She retains an active interest in sport, including amateur horse racing.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Sarah Ayton was born

Sarah Ayton was born in 1980. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1980

  • #1 song"Call Me" – Blondie
  • Top movieOrdinary People
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMiracle on Ice — US hockey team beats the Soviets at Lake Placid
  • Top headlineJohn Lennon assassinated outside his New York apartment
  • Technology milestoneCNN launches as first 24-hour news channel
  • Defining fadRubik's Cube
  • Notable inventionPost-it Notes (officially released)
  • World population4.44 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championPhiladelphia Phillies (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population227.2M

1980 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Sarah Ayton's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19802026
Gas$1.19$3.45/gal
Average home$68,700$435,000
Average income$21,023$67,500
Minimum wage$3.10$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.15$0.73
Population227.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.