Simpson was part of Sweden's Artemis team taking part in training for the America's Cup off the California coast.

The British Olympic sailor Andrew Simpson died on Thursday after his team's ultra-modern yacht capsized in the San Francisco bay and trapped him underwater during training for the America's Cup.

The 72-foot Artemis catamaran tipped over at 1.15pm local time, plunging its 13-strong crew into the water and trapping Simpson under the vessel's platform for about 10 minutes.

Rescuers pulled Simpson, 36, into a support boat and an officer from the San Francisco police department's marine unit tried to resuscitate him. He was declared dead about 20 minutes later, said San Francisco fire chief Joanne Hayes-White.

Simpson won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a crew member in the star class, and he also took silver last year at the London Games.

'The entire team is devastated by what happened,' said Artemis chief executive Paul Cayard, a sailing world champion and America's Cup veteran. 'Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew's wife and family.'
One other crew member was hurt but his condition was not said to be serious. The rest of the crew escaped unharmed and was taken to its nearby base at Alameda, where members were said to be in tears.

The coastguard said winds were a little above normal when the bo.