Great Britain announce sailing team for Paris 2024
The British Olympic Association unveil the first Team GB athletes selected to compete at the Games in France in less than a year's time.
Sailing
The first athletes selected to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 for Team GB have been announced.
British Sailing selected Freya Black and Saskia Tidey to compete in 49erFX; James Peters and Fynn Sterritt in 49er; Michael Beckett in the one-person dinghy, ILCA 7; Emma Wilson and Sam Sills in the women's and men's iQFOiL windsurfing discipline, respectively; Ellie Aldridge in women's formula kit surfing; and John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the mixed multihull, Nacra 17.
The sailing events at Paris 2024 take place at the Marseille Marina from 28 July to 8 August.
Team GB names first athletes for Paris 2024
Among the ten sailors named today by the British Olympic Association (BOA) three are Olympic medallists.
Tokyo 2020 silver medal winners John Gimson and Anna Burnet won bronze in the mixed multihull fleet at the Olympic test event in July, followed by second place at the World Championships in August to secure their spot.
“I've been mad about sport my whole life and I wanted to go to the Olympic Games before I even knew what sport I would try to go in," said Burnet, who is a passionate environmental advocate along with Gimson. "Going to Tokyo was a dream come true, but it still feels quite surreal. Now to be selected for Team GB for my second Olympics is pretty crazy… more than I ever dreamed!"
European bronze medallist Emma Wilson also secured silver at the test event in Marseille, venue for the sailing events for Paris 2024 in July.
"It will be my second Olympics but in a completely different class so I just want to go give my absolute best and enjoy it all,” said Wilson after transitioning from the RS:X [the windsurfing equipment for Tokyo 2020] to the iQFOiL [the windsurfing equipment for Paris 2024].
Olympic Games Paris 2024 less than a year away
Saskia Tidey, the most experienced with two Olympic Games appearances, crews with Freya Black, the youngest sailor in the GB line up.
“It is an honour to be selected for my third Olympic Games," said Tidey. "I have had a lot of fun sailing with Freya and building a team worthy of challenging a medal in Paris."
James Peters and Fynn Sterritt have big shoes to fill in the 49er class after Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell won gold in Japan, claiming Britain's first-ever men's Olympic title in the discipline. The duo have retired from Olympic sailing.
"You work so hard for so many years to try and win an Olympic medal that when the call comes to represent your country, you really have to stop and remind yourself how far you’ve come," said Scottish highlander, Sterritt. "It’s easy to just keep pushing on towards the end goal without appreciating the steps along the way."
Windsurfer Sam Sills started the season with a win at the iconic Princess Sofia regatta in Mallorca, before claiming fifth at the World Championships in the Netherlands in August.
“It will be the first time** foiling windsurfing will be seen at the Olympics**," said Sills, who admitted to being physically and mentally exhausted after the gruelling GB trials process, "and I just can’t wait to represent Great Britain in this incredible discipline."
Michael Beckett has been chosen to break Australia's streak of three consecutive Olympic titles in ILCA 7.
“Selection for Team GB is the honour of a lifetime," said Beckett, who grew up in a small village in Wales. "I’ve watched Team GB athletes since I was a kid, not just in sailing but across all sports, it’s a lot to live up to but I’m excited by the challenge."
European champion Ellie Aldridge is the sole representative in the women’s kite class, the second of the two new sailing disciplines for Paris 2024. The RS:X has been replaced with the IQFoil for both men's and women's events.
"I didn't really think I'd actually make it to becoming a professional athlete, and I definitely didn't have a clue what kite foiling was," said Aldridge, who stated 'professional athlete' as her career objective when leaving school. "But it's crazy looking back at me as a kid, knowing that I have actually made that dream a reality and all my work over the past five years particularly has paid off."
The Team GB sailors selected for Paris 2024 are:
John Gimson and Anna Burnet – Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17)
James Peters and Fynn Sterritt – Men’s Skiff (49er)
Freya Black and Saskia Tidey – Women’s Skiff (49erFX)
Emma Wilson – Women’s Windsurfing (iQFOiL)
Sam Sills – Men’s Windsurfing (iQFOiL)
Ellie Aldridge – Women’s Kite (Formula Kite)
Michael Beckett – Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 7)