Ben Ainslie, OBE, (born 5 February 1977 in Macclesfield) is a British sailor and two-times Olympic gold medalist. He started sailing at the age of 4 and first competed at the age of 10. Ainslie's first International competition was the Optimist (dinghy) 1989 World Championship's held in Japan where he placed 37th.

The son of Roderick 'Roddy' Ainslie, who captained a boat that took part in the first Whitbread Round The World Race in 1973, he won a gold medal at the World Youth Championships in 1995, and was awarded the title of British Yachtsman of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2000 and 2002. He is also the holder of an OBE.