What should an Olympic medal represent? Is it still sport’s ultimate accolade? Is it a demonstration that you’re the best in the world and have dedicated your entire life to proving it? Or is it more of a blue Peter badge, a confirmation that you took part in a piece of sporting media entertainment that you should be proud of?

As we head towards the next Olympic Games regatta in San Diego there are a growing number of sailors who are extremely worried that the medals in 2028 will represent more of a memento for turning up rather than a celebration of being the world’s best.

It’s no secret that Olympic Sailing has had the sword of Damocles hanging over it for decades. An expensive, complicated sport that still isn’t as inclusive as the modern age requires has been a hard sell for a long time.

For years the sport has resisted a class cull to rationalise the overall fleet and bring the numbers down to more economically viable proportions. You could argue that it should have led the way and merged the genders for all of the double-handers to keep classes and disciplines while reducing the head count. And though this has happened in the 470s and Nacra cats, the sport has introduced the equivalent of BMX bike and skateboard categories in the foilers, in the hope these more street-style classes will draw in a huge new audience.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 1 August, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

I have nothing against foiling boards or kite foils – they’re exciting – but these new classes have not brought spectators and supporters in the kind of numbers that will turn around the economic fortunes of Olympic Sailing. And neither will changing the medal racing format by reducing it to a single, short, winner-take-all final race between the top four.

Apparently, this is what could be on the cards for Los Angeles. I’m told there are plans to reduce the fleet racing stages beforehand to just three days with no reserve or lay days – which surely doesn’t help to even out the spikes in weather and fortune that often influence our sport. And all in the name of creating a greater sense of jeopardy to make our sport more exciting.

Really? More of a lottery by the sounds of it. Imagine if you turned up at your national championships where you’d worked hard at consistently delivering the points during the week only to be told that the points buffer you’d accumulated counted for nothing when it came to a shot at the trophy.

That’s effectively what happened to British iQFoil sailor Emma Wilson, who was 31 points ahead in the games last year. We know how that played out for her… a bronze.

Surely what would help to get sailing back on track would be to take the racing to a venue that has a reputation for breeze on a stretch of water that can cope with a variety of wind directions and that isn’t hopelessly compromised by being too close to the shore where a few thousand people can watch.

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If we’re talking about sailing at the Olympics needing to be a sport that gets talked about and watched on TV for a global audience, a few thousand on the beach isn’t going to move the needle when it comes to balancing the costs of putting it on. It strikes me as odd that at a time when we can film sailing pretty much anywhere while relating the action with trackers and on-the-water commentary, we choose to move the racing to within shouting distance of the shore – why?

After what was clearly a disastrous sporting broadcast in Marseille for the last games it sounds like there are some pretty drastic changes being considered. But it also sounds like the Olympic broadcasters are having a big say in how the sport will look going forwards and, despite having worked in and seen the pressures that TV faces to bring sailing to our screens, I don’t think that’s the answer.

The television world itself is facing big challenges as audiences head to other platforms and media, and I don’t believe it’s in the right position to tell a sport how to conduct itself. Because you then risk creating something that bears little resemblance to the sport as its enthusiasts and grassroots participants know it – and then you risk losing the support of a community that should be the core supporters.

Imagine a future where we only have one race to decide the Olympic Games results. Is this really what winning an Olympic medal is all about, or are we gradually ensuring that sailing is driven out of the games?

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How was your summer season? If you went to a major event like Olympic sailing, did you wonder where everyone else was? Cowes Week seemed to stir up plenty of debate as to why numbers haven’t returned to those of a few years ago. Among the many views, and setting that of cost to one side, a common one was how seven days of racing (plus the additional ones to cover getting there and back), doesn’t fit with people’s busy lifestyles any more.

If you weren’t at a regatta maybe you were watching the Olympic sailing? What did you think of the sailing in Marseille? I ask because this year I was surprised at how many people voiced criticisms that the Games format isn’t as fair as it could be and isn’t showing our sport in its best light.

Olympic Sailing for the spectators

Spectator sailing and the medal race system has been a source of debate since the day it was announced as the new configuration for Olympic sailing. Introduced for the 2008 Beijing Games to make sailing more appealing to a wider audience while making the sport of winning medals more dramatic, we were told that this was required to secure sailing’s future as an Olympic sport. Carry on as it was and the threat was that sailing could lose its place in the Games.

So, when it comes to attracting a bigger audience, making sailing look cool and securing the sport’s future in the biggest show on earth, has the exercise worked? I’m not sure it has.

Yes, there have been some developments that may have helped draw a bigger audience. The fact that half the Olympic classes are now on foils brings the sport bang up to date. As we’ve seen in the America’s Cup, doing 30 knots in a single figure breeze is pretty impressive and gets people asking how it’s possible before they even think of asking how the racing works. But how long does this interest last?

I’m all in favour of foiling developments and believe strongly that this discipline is here to stay. But in my opinion the relative lack of movement, when compared to traditional classes like the 470 or the ILCA, makes it harder to relate to and therefore less appealing in the long run.

But that’s not my beef. Compromising the sport for the sake of spectators is. Bringing the medal race course close to shore where the breeze is often lighter and more flukey makes delays more likely and TV broadcasters less likely to commit to putting sailing on screen. And when they do show it, often it’s not at its best.

It seems odd that with helicopters, drones, trackers and superb race course overlays to hand, if ever there was a time that we could put the racing where it was best placed to deliver a spectacle, it is now. Instead, we bring it close to the shore in front of a tiny spectator crowd where the conditions risk compromising the racing.

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A scoring system reshuffle?

I’m also not convinced the Olympic medal scoring system always brings the best talent to the top. World Sailing’s own description of the medal race format goes like this: ‘the double points on offer mean there is usually jeopardy heading into that final race. As a result, it provides all the drama as gold medals swap hands, podium positions disappear and calculators are kept at the ready.’

Is that really what makes racing exciting and engaging? I thought it was skill, tactics and tenacity. I don’t watch the track and field events to see people fall over – I want to see them succeed, break records and deliver outstanding performances. And I don’t want to watch with a calculator.

Setting national pride to one side, Emma Wilson’s result in the womens’ iQFoil medal race after a dominant performance beforehand is a good example. Yes, misjudging a layline cost her dearly, but so too did not being out on the course beforehand. Minimising the number of races before the grand final might work for running, but it’s a distinct disadvantage on the water.

An accumulated points buffer saved the Dutch team in the 49erFX when they made a serious error at the finish, so why not for Wilson? An all or nothing points system doesn’t do justice to a sport that can be influenced by uncontrollable variations in the weather. Plus, how can our sport be understood by viewers who are new to it when we have such different ways of deciding a medal for no obvious reason?

I wholeheartedly congratulate everyone who won a medal and it made for some great racing, but I’m not sure this Olympic cycle did our sport many favours in the long run.

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Britain’s Ellie Aldridge closed the Olympic Sailing at Paris 2024 for Team GB on a huge high, saving the best performance of her career so far for kiting’s Olympic medal debut. In a thrilling Final – which in itself proved exactly why Formula Kite fully deserves its place among the Olympic disciplines – Aldridge took the Gold medal.

After Emma Wilson’s bronze, Aldridge secured GBR’s second sailing medal of Paris 2024, when she got the better of France’s Lauriane Nolot for the first time in a Final since 2021.

With the host nation France looking to their red hot favourite Nolot to single-handedly save France from the embarrassment of just the one bronze medal in the Women’s Skiff at a home games where they expected between four and six, Aldridge was on imperious form.

Thanks to her speed and accurate layline calls she won her first Finals race comfortably, and then when she absolutely needed to she ground out the second consecutive victory, earned after the French hope put herself at an immediate disadvantage with a port tack start. Nolot takes silver and the Netherlands Annelous Lammerts bronze. The USA’s Daniela Moroz finishes fourth.

Aldridge grinned, “As soon as we knew the Olympics were going to be in Marseille we knew it was going to be a tricky venue we knew it was going to be light, and it has been, possibly one of the worst places we have ever kited. But we have just had to learn how to adapt and to deal with it, how to be consistent when the conditions aren’t good and how to excel when It really matters. It really all did come down to today and winning these two races. I am so happy I managed to hold it together.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

“I was on the small kite which I prefer. On the shorter course I prefer the smaller kite as you are more manoeuvrable. I felt more comfortable. I knew the smaller kite would be faster upwind and the bigger kite faster downwind. As soon as I went round the leeward mark in that first race I knew I had to make the overtake move and I was higher and faster inside.

She added, “I know we have such a strong team even if the (GBR) medal count doesn’t show it. But I hope this gold brightens everyone’s spirit a bit after the week we had. My goal was to medal. I knew I could win if everything aligned, I felt I did not have a great week as a few races I was leading were abandoned half way through. My luck was good today in that I was on the right kite for the conditions. I have a level of determination and focus. Out there I am just thinking of exactly what I am doing at that exact moment. I have that ability to switch everything else off.”

Aldridge’s gold elevates Team GB to fourth on the Medal Table with only the rescheduled Men’s Olympic Kitesurfing Final expected to be completed Friday, the reserve day. With two golds, in the Women’s Dinghy and the Women’s Skiff and Lammerts’ Formula Kite bronze this afternoon, the Netherlands top the international Medal table for the first time.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Italy take gold in the Olympic Mixed Multihull

Becoming Italy’s most successful sailing medallists ever when they secured back to back gold in the Mixed Multihull, Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti fulfilled their ranking as pre-Olympic favourites, a success which has not been always as easy as they made it look.

Now with Tita’s almost full time commitment to his role as one of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s America’s Cup helmsmen in Barcelona, time and logistical management has this time been a fundamental challenge for the duo who have sailed together since 2016.

Not renowned for her patience, it was Banti’s pantomime eye rolls at the victory press conference as helm ‘Ruggi’ explained how they had made it all work which spoke volumes.

With a second in the Medal Race behind the young French duo Tim Mourniac and Lou Berthomieu, Tita and Banti took gold by 24 points ahead of Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco.

Toughened by a long selection battle against Santi Lange and Vicky Trasvacio, the Argentine duo made a virtue of spending months training and learning the Marseille venue. Majdalani was Lange and Cecilia Carranza’s coach during the 2016 Rio gold medal winning campaign.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Called OCS there was devastating heartbreak for the soon-to-be-married GBR couple John Gimson and Anna Burnett whose early start handed New Zealand their first multihull Olympic medal since 1988 Seoul when Rex Sellars and Chris Timms won Tornado silver.

Gimson grimaced, “OCS is probably the most brutal way to lose because it’s so out of our control. I’m so proud if this week, how we sailed.” Due to get married with Gimson next month Burnett noted, “Obviously, there’s no one I’d rather be
here with on this whole journey, and we’re so, so lucky that we get to do this together. The highs and lows we’re riding together. There’s life and there’s sport and in this moment, I suppose, life and sport are a little bit separate to us. The sport’s more brutal but life goes on and we’ll get married and, you know, life will be great.”

Tied on points with the Brits going into the deciding finale, Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson finished ninth to leave Gimson and Burnett six points short of adding bronze to their Tokyo silver which they won behind their regular training partners Tita and Banti.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Surprise Gold for Austria in Mixed Dinghy

Not really featuring on any lists of medal favourites outside of their landlocked home country, Austria’s new Mixed Dinghy gold medallists Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maeher put together a really solid, mature series and kept their heads until the finish line. They even waited for a few minutes until their 470 super coach Morgan Reeser double checked the math before the celebrations erupted.

After disappointment in Rio, past double 470 world champion (in 2014 in Santander and 2015 Haifa) Vadlau took five years away from Olympic sailing to complete a medical degree before deciding to make a comeback when she watched the Tokyo Olympics. She paired up with Lukas Maeher and worked hard and methodically.

In the months leading up to Games they did serve notice of their form taking two third places and one win in coaches warm up regattas on the Marseille race areas.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

After BFD in the first race of the series the Austrian duo have maintained a high level of consistency, attributable in part to having a clear plan for each day as prepared with coach Reeser and their ace Italian meteo specialist Elena Christo – who also worked with Men’s Dinghy silver medallist. She provided the team with very accurate, well presented historic detailed data which allowed them to have a higher confidence in their choices.

Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka take the silver medal whilst Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson take bronze. An unnecessarily combative attack on the Austrian duo at the start cost the Spanish world champions Jordi Xammer and Nora Brugman a probable bronze.

Vadlau said “We started this campaign together with one goal and that was to win gold at the Olympic Games. We found out early in the campaign that we have fast material and we wanted to use that. We put it aside as the material we use and that did not make it easy at World Championships and European Championships and so on as we did not always have the speed we wanted but we have stuck with this gold medal winning material right through.”

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The Olympic Sailing competitions in Marseille faced delays once again yesterday as the Medal Races for the Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy were postponed due to a lack of wind. However, the events that did take place provided plenty of excitement and historical achievements.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Dinghy: Bouwmeester Secures Historic Gold

Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands clinched her second Olympic gold in the Women’s Dinghy, solidifying her status as the most successful female sailor in Olympic history. Despite having already secured gold after consistent top-five finishes in the Opening Series, persistent light wind delayed her victory lap.

Bouwmeester, who now holds two golds, a silver, and a bronze from four Olympics, crossed the line fourth in the Medal Race. Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom took silver, and Norway’s Line Flem Hoest captured bronze.

Bouwmeester reflected on her achievement, “In the build-up to the Medal Race, I tried to stay focused, but being a mum as well, I had to be there for Jessie Mae. It’s nice to finally finish it off, it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Rindom added, “It’s huge just to get to an Olympic Games, so to secure a medal is amazing. It’s been nerve-wracking, but I kept fighting right to the end.”

Photo: World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli

Men’s Dinghy: Wearn Defends His Title

Australia’s Matt Wearn successfully defended his Olympic title in the Men’s Dinghy with a decisive performance in the Medal Race. Holding a 14-point lead, Wearn executed a brilliant race strategy to secure gold, extending Australia’s dominance in the event with their fourth consecutive Olympic gold.

Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides took silver, echoing his London 2012 success, while Peru’s Stefano Peschiera earned a historic bronze, marking Peru’s first Olympic medal in 32 years.

Wearn expressed his relief and joy, “The last three years have been an up-and-down ride, but we kept ticking boxes. It’s been quite hard to deal with the waiting at times, luckily we didn’t have to wait for another day and now we can celebrate.”

Kontides shared his emotions, “I’m over the moon. A second Olympic medal for my country, and it came from myself.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Formula Kite: Medal Series Line-Up Set

Due to light wind, no Formula Kite races took place, leaving the standings unchanged heading into the Medal Series. The top ten athletes from both the men’s and women’s sides will compete in the Semi-Finals, divided into two groups of four. The top overall seeds, Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek for the men and France’s Lauriane Nolot for the women, will start the Final with two wins each.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy: Medal Races Await

The Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy Medal Races were postponed due to the lack of wind, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown once conditions permit.

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti lead the Mixed Multihull standings, while Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr top the Mixed Dinghy rankings. Competitors will have to wait for favourable winds to determine the final medalists.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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Winning the Men’s Olympic Dinghy medal race in an assured fashion, Matt Wearn today not only continued his nation’s extraordinary run of gold medal titles to four but became the first Australian to win two Olympic Sailing gold medals in a row.

Wearn emerged victorious from what was an especially tough day for all top ten Men’s ILCA 7 medal contenders. A first Medal Race attempt was abandoned on the final run when the fickle breeze shifted in direction and died when the leaders were within sight of the finish line with Briton Micky Beckett in bronze medal position after profiting from Wearn’s need to sail Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides back into the fleet.

The breeze hovered around six knots for the second attempt. Wearn worked his way to the front pursued by Kontides, the 2012 silver medallist, whilst ninth – ahead of Beckett – was enough to secure Peru’s Stefano Pescheira his nation’s first medal of Paris 2024, his bronze being only their fifth ever Olympic medal. Two penalties for kinetics – for rocking the boat – relegated Beckett to a disappointing tenth in the medal race, sixth overall.

While Wearn’s second successive gold extends the Australian powerhouse’s run started in 2012 with Tom Slingsby and followed by Tom Burton in 2016 the ILCA 7 has again proven its value as an accessible, true one design in which medal success is down to the athlete.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Wearn said, “It was tougher this time. The expectation was higher here. There was pressure last time to make selection and this time once I was here it was just a matter of competing. This time being the reigning champion and winning the last two world championships that pressure this time was super high, I don’t think there were many people out there who did not want to beat me, I felt like I had that target on my back.”

He added, “Today I really had to dig deep and do all the stuff we had done in the lead up to this. It was super tough. I had had to be mentally tough and pull through and then just execute again on the third try.”

And of the combative duel with Kontides who he had to despatch and keep behind him, “It is part of the sport. We have seen it in the past and these things happen. I would be a silly guy to let Pavlos off the leash he is a fantastic competitor, give him an inch and he will take a mile. It was a matter of locking out that gold medal and he understands that too. He came away with a second silver.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

“I doubt he is going to stop. He is looking younger all the time. Micky Beckett I rate so highly, he did not come away with a medal this time, but if he does not win world championships he will definitely win a medal next time. The fleet is so strong, this fleet the top ten were just going up and down all the time, anyone could have won a medal here.”

This is the second silver medal for the remarkable Kontides who also took home a silver in London 2012. It is incredible record for a small programme, which he shares with Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic – who also won back to back silvers in 2016 and 2020. Third place here in Marseille also strengthens the global nature of the ILCA class as Pescheira came into the Olympic scene directly from World Sailing’s Emerging Nations programme.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Bronze claimed in Women’s Olympic Dinghy Medal Race

The only medal to be decided in the Women’s Dinghy was bronze. Gold and silver were locked up two days ago by Marit Bouwmeester – who today hobbled into the Press Conference after damaging her ankle during the in the water celebrations – and Denmark’s Anne Marie Rindom. After a spirited, full hiking scrap in 9-12kts, Norway’s Line Flem Hoest took second across the line to secure bronze.

Has this been an overly tough venue? The Netherlands G.O.A.T, Bouwmeester does not think so. “I felt people said Marseille was hard to read and unpredictable but I did not find it so bad. Through my pregnancy I did a lot of studies of meteorology and also knowing how the Mediterranean is different, I found that you could read the course and it just switches a lot. You just have to know when. I felt my coach and myself came up with some very good tactics while allowed me to produce my stable results.”

And the 2020 gold medallist Rindom, who today added silver but refused to be drawn on if she would pursue Bouwmeester’s record, also agreed, “I was here in August in 2022 and it was basically the same. I don’t think we had any days when we saw over nine or ten knots. And it was very hot then too.”

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As is often the case for sailing at the Olympics, the sailing is actually taking place away from the main Olympic site for Paris 2024. The Olympic Sailing regatta will actually take place in Marseille’s newly revamped Roucas-Blanc Marina, renamed Marseille Marina for the games.

The competition venue caters for 14 thousand spectators. Those of us not lucky enough to have grabbed up tickets for the games will have to be content with watching the Olympic sailing competition on TV. And depending on where you are located this might mean watching for free or paying for a streaming service.

Light winds have dogged this Olympic Sailing event, and yesterday saw the schedule disrupted once again with rescheduled Men’s and Women’s Dinghy Medal Races completed – and some historic results.

However, the Mixed Olympic Multihull and Mixed Olympic Dinghy Medal Races where not able to be run after the wind dies off in the afternoon.

The schedule for today’s Olympic Sailing Medal Races is: 

Mixed Dinghy Medal Race – 10:43 Local
Mixed Multihull Medal Race – 11:18 Local

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics Sailing live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing live stream just below.

How to stream Olympic sailing in Australia for free

The 9Network broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympic channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD filled with Olympic content 24 hours a day. Plus, 9Now will stream 40 individual channels live and on-demand, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event, as well as extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.

The best way to watch the sailing will be via the 9Now app, which will feature: Over 40 channels LIVE, FREE and in HD, Replays, highlights and ‘Minis’ for the best action on-demand. Multi-language captions, Event guide and much more

For those on a desktop, simply visit the 9Network

You can also download the 9Now app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your Smart TV, mobile or tablet.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic sailing in the UK for free

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic sailing live you will need to head to Discovery+. A £3.99 special Olympic offer subscription will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the sailing taking place on the Marseille and Corniche racecourses and all medal races – but you will need to sign up before 11 August to access the deal.

However the BBC will usually run a decent chunk of live coverage plus daily highlights shows, as per Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, so you might be better served to go with that BBC iPlayer free option if don’t feel the need to watch every last second of every race.

How to watch Olympic sailing in the USA

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month  for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage

How to watch Olympic sailing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or a special Olympic subscription deal is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

What is the Paris 2024 Olympic sailing schedule?

Olympic sailing in Paris 2024 begins on 28 July and continues until 8 August.

July 28

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

July 29

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

July 30

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

July 31

Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

August 1

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon
Men’s Skiff – Medal Race
Women’s Skiff – Medal Race
Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series

August 2

Men’s Windsurfing – Medal Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Medal Series
Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series

August 3

Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series

August 4

Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 5

Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 6

Men’s Dinghy – Medal Race
Women’s Dinghy – Medal Race
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 7

Mixed Dinghy – Medal Race
Mixed Multihull – Medal Race
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 8

Men’s Kite – Medal Series
Women’s Kite – Medal Series

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The planned Medal Races for the Women’s and Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 6 and ILCA 7) could not take place due to a lack of wind yesterday, so Wednesday will see four Olympic Sailing events conclude as Medal Racing for these Dinghies takes place in addition to Medal Races for the Olympic Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) and Olympic Mixed Dinghy (470).

Australia’s Matt Wearn, who leads the Men’s Dinghy standings, will have to wait to see if he can secure gold, while Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides remains his closest challenger. In the Women’s Dinghy, the dominant Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands stands on the brink of becoming the most successful female sailor in Olympic history, with Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom poised for silver.

For the Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy fleets, the penultimate day of Olympic Sailing in Marseille was marked by light winds and high stakes as competitors completed the final races of the Opening Series. Here’s a roundup of the key events and standings ahead of the decisive Medal Races.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Multihull: Tita and Banti Secure Lead Despite Disqualification

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti have guaranteed themselves at least a silver medal heading into the Mixed Multihull Medal Race. Despite a disqualification in race ten due to an early start, they bounced back with a strong second-place finish in race eleven, maintaining a 14-point lead.

Tita remarked, “There’s not going to be a match race. We are going to try and control the situation based on the points we have. Second, third, and fourth will have a big battle, and we aim to stay out of that and focus on our race.”

Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco sit in second, having delivered a consistent performance with a first and second place in the day’s races. Great Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet, who climbed to third after a race win, are level on points with New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson.

Bosco said, “We had a really good day and we’re really happy. The conditions were tricky and unstable, but we managed well.”

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Dinghy: Tight Contest Heading into Medal Race

Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr surged to the top of the Mixed Dinghy standings with a fifth and second place in the final races of the Opening Series. They hold a seven-point lead over Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman, who remain in second. Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka are close behind in third.

Vadlau emphasised the importance of strategy, “We have to sail smart tomorrow. We have almost no advantage, but we are here to win a medal.”

Maehr added, “It’s nice to start with a little bit of a point advantage. We will talk with our coach about the plan and enjoy going into the Medal Race in first position.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Formula Kite: Vodisek and Nolot Take the Lead

Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek reclaimed the lead in the Men’s Olympic Kitesurfing with a win in race six. Despite a fourth-place finish in race seven, he edged ahead of Singapore’s Max Maeder, who struggled with an 11th place finish in the first race of the day. Austria’s Valentin Bontus held onto third despite a challenging 20th place finish in race seven.

In the Women’s Kite, France’s Lauriane Nolot surged to the top after winning the only race of the day. Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler dropped out of the top three following a DNS, while Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge held onto second overall despite also receiving a DNS. USA’s Daniela Moroz sits in third after a seventh-place finish.

Vodisek expressed his enthusiasm, “My girlfriend’s coming soon, which will make everything easier. There’s going to be another level when she turns up.”

Nolot highlighted the tricky conditions, “It’s the light wind Olympic Games. Every race matters, which is why I’m super focused in every single race.”

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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The Olympic Sailing competition continues to deliver impressive performances as the challenging conditions in Marseille continue to push the sailors to their limits. With several races cancelled due to light winds, some fleets have seen significant changes in rankings, setting the stage for an exciting finale.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Dinghy: Bouwmeester Poised for Historic Gold

Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands is on the brink of making history by becoming the most successful female Olympic sailor of all time. After a dominant performance throughout the competition, Bouwmeester secured her position at the top with consistent top-five finishes, despite a 20th place in race nine. The final race of the day was canceled, ensuring that Bouwmeester could not be overtaken in tomorrow’s Medal Race.

Reflecting on her journey, Bouwmeester said, “It was a crazy day. I’ve been building towards this after a tough World Championships and finding balance with my family life. I’m just going to enjoy this one and thank my family for their support.”

Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark, the reigning gold medalist from Tokyo, will likely settle for silver. She expressed mixed feelings about her performance, stating, “I felt like I underperformed this week, but securing a silver medal is still an achievement. It’s tough competing in these conditions, especially after dealing with an injury.”

The battle for bronze is still open, with Norway’s Line Flem Hoest currently holding third, five points ahead of Switzerland’s Maud Jayet.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s Dinghy: Wearn Awaits Final Race for Gold Decision

In the Men’s Dinghy, Matt Wearn of Australia remains in a commanding position despite no races taking place due to insufficient wind. Wearn is assured of at least a silver medal, with only Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides posing a threat to his gold aspirations.

Kontides, currently in second, faces a delicate balance in the Medal Race, theoretically he can beat Wearn to gold, but will need to be mindful of taking significant risks with Peru’s Stefano Peschiera in third place, just ten points behind.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Multihull: Tita and Banti Maintain Lead

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti continue to lead the Mixed Multihull category, despite experiencing their weakest day. They managed to secure a win in one race but followed it with two sixth-place finishes.

Tita commented on their performance, “It was tough conditions, but we’re still at the top, and that’s what matters. We’re staying focused and will keep pushing.” Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco rose to second place, showing consistent form, while New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson slipped to third but remain tied on points with the Argentinians.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Dinghy: Status Quo Amid Abandoned Race

The Mixed Dinghy standings remained unchanged as the race was abandoned midway due to light winds. Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr continue to lead, with Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman in second, and Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka in third.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Formula Kite: Maeder and Lengwiler Climb to the Top

In the Olympic kitesurfing, Max Maeder of Singapore moved into the lead after finishing third in the only race of the day. Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek dropped to second, while Austria’s Valentin Bontus slipped to third.

In the Women’s Kite, Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler surged to the top with a victory in the sole race of the day. Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge held onto second place, with USA’s Daniela Moroz closely following in third.

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As the capricious, fitful breezes finally expired in the intense late afternoon heat on the Bay of Marseille, when Race 10 for the Women’s Olympic Dinghy (ILCA 6) was abandoned Marit Bouwmeester effectively secured her second gold medal to become sailing’s most successful ever female Olympian.

Adding to gold in Rio 2016, silver in London 2012 and bronze in Beijing 2008, Holland’s 36-year old sailing superstar today surpasses Briton Hannah Mills’s two successive golds from Rio and Tokyo and silver in London, Italian windsurfer Alessandra Sensini gold in 2000, silver in Beijing and pair of bronzes from 1996 and 2004 as well as Kiwi windsurfer Barbara Kendall’s ‘full set’ earned consecutively from 1996-2004.

Marit Bouwmeester took time off after the 2021 Olympics after giving birth to her daughter Jessie Mae two years ago and since then has ensured that her role as a mother comes first and foremost. Lately she travels with her brother – a former sailor – and their combined families as is the case here.

“Here I often get back and she is asleep. I get a kiss and she tells me what a great day she has had with her cousins.” She said this week. In so doing today she has now fulfilled an aggrieved teenage assertion – started in 2005 after she was told by her National Authority that she was too young and too slight to represent at the Laser Worlds that year in Brazil – that she would be the best in the world one day.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

She recalled, again, this afternoon this was what ignited the fire inside her. “It feels incredible now because as a youngster my spot was taken away from me because I was told I was not good enough, that is when I said I am going to be the best of all time. So it feels good now.

“Then they told me I was too young, too light they were going to send Lisa Westerhof. That has spurred me all the time to be the best female sailor of all time. I have always chased that dream. When you get setbacks you get the chance to be the victim or to come back stronger.”

And she pointed to her recent 11th at January’s ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship in Argentina as the final catalyst, another time not to be a victim. “For me to be down at the worlds in Argentina was the best thing to happen because I chose to keep the grind, when I thought this is the biggest challenge for me to win the gold medal, to always come back stronger.”

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Her work rate and ethic are second to none whilst on the water her superior downwind speed is attributable to her sheer athleticism and an innate feel for the boat.

And there is no doubt that here on Marseille’s very demanding, challenging race arenas her Olympic Sailing experience has probably been her decisive experience. As athlete and commentator British double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson has seen how Bouwmeester operates through her entire career.

“She is really competitive. She is fierce and she has the Olympic experience. A difficult venue like this does not phase her, hence her dominance this week. I think she is more confident in her performance, there is even a little bit of ‘get out of the way’.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

“She is fierce, no nonsense, fast. She was helped here by a really difficult venue. It is hard to forecast, it is difficult to read and the harder it got the more she has excelled. I don’t think she is way faster than anyone else, I just think that around her they make errors and she doesn’t. She knows how to put a series together and win a medal. It has been a privilege to see her all the way through her career.”

China’s Xu Lila, (Lily) won the gold in Weymouth in 2012 ahead of Marit Bouwmeester, “She is so fast downwind. I think one of the things generally is that she trained a lot at home in Medemblik where there is a chop. But this time she has had a clear aim and spent a lot of time here and dominated the coaches’ races.”

And renowned British super ILCA coach Jon Emmet coached and sailed as a training partner with Marit Bouwmeester during the lead up to the Beijing games and has known her well ever since, “I was much more of a training partner for speed work coming into the China Games going to Lake Garda and Hyères.

“Marit was just one of the most motivated people I have ever worked with. The interesting thing she said to me after she had her daughter, Jessie, was that she was then the most keen to go sailing and actually forced her and Jaap (her coach) to focus their time on the water as real life took over.”

Anne Marie-Rindom celebrates here silver. Photo: World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli

Emmet adds, “She has a mental toughness and that stands out. She is an incredible hard worker. Quite often when I was not working with her I would go to the gym and she’d be there. But when she was very young it was very clear what her ambitions were. She was always in there for the long haul with that mindset thing.

“As a sailor kinesthetically she is the best in the world in terms of that boat feel. If you look at her she is always looking one and a half waves ahead. I hate to use the word ‘natural’ but she was a very natural downwind sailor.”

After nine races Marit Bouwmeester goes into Tuesday’s Medal Race with a 21 points lead over Denmark’s 2021 Olympic champion Anne Marie Rindom who is assured of silver. The reigning world champion has been unable to race for the last three months because of a problem with her hand. “The Olympics, it is huge to even be here for the fourth time and to now secure medal. But it is a little bit disappointing because I felt I have underperformed a little bit this week.” Said Rindom.

“It hasn’t been the preparation I wanted, that has been tough. It is one of these things, the more you race and win the more confident you become, so it has been nerve racking, but I had to keep fighting and believe in myself.”

Tuesday’s medal race sees a battle for bronze between Norway’s Line Flem Hoest, Switzerland’s Maud Jayet and Croatia’s Elena Vorobeva.

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The 2024 Olympic Sailing competition continued with notable performances across multiple categories. The poor conditions might have seen some surprise winners so far, but the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion in Marseille for the many classes still racing.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s and Women’s Dinghy: Wearn and Bouwmeester Hold Strong

Australia’s Matt Wearn maintained his lead in the Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 7) despite a challenging day, marked by two tenth-place finishes. He remains 14 points clear of Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides, who moved into second with steady performances. Kontides emphasised the variability of conditions, noting, “The wind was very up and down, offering many chances to gain or lose.”

In the Women’s Dinghy (ILCA 6), Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands remains in a strong position despite an 11th-place finish in race eight, her weakest result so far. She leads by 28 points over Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom, who had a mixed day but recovered well in the second race. Switzerland’s Maud Jayet follows in third, continuing her consistent form.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der

Mixed Dinghy: Austrian Pair Takes the Lead

Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr of Austria climbed to the top of the Mixed Dinghy (470) rankings after a strong showing in race six. The duo managed to navigate the light, tricky winds effectively, finishing the day with a race victory and solidifying their position at the top.

Reflecting on their day, Vadlau remarked, “It was quite challenging with a super tricky wind. We are happy we had a good day.” Maehr added, “We’ve trained a lot here in Marseille, and each day is different. It’s wonderful to sail here, but it’s also very tough.”

Meanwhile, Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman displayed consistency, moving up to second overall, while Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka dropped to third after a series of tactical missteps. Brugman noted the importance of consistency, saying, “It was really easy to commit big errors today, so we’re happy with our consistent performance.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Mixed Multihull: Italian Duo Dominates

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti continued their commanding run in the Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) class, securing three consecutive wins. The duo has shown remarkable consistency and skill, making them the team to beat.

New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson moved up the rankings with two second-place finishes, while Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco rounded out the top three.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Formula Kite: Historic Wins in Debut Event

The debut of Formula Kite at the Olympics saw impressive performances, with Austria’s Valentin Bontus and Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge making history by winning the first races in their respective categories.

Bontus expressed his excitement, saying, “Crossing that finish line of the first race in the lead was an amazing feeling.” Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek topped the Men’s standings with consistent performances, while teenage sensation Max Maeder finished third despite a DNF in one race.

In the Women’s Kite, Aldridge was edged out in the overall standings by France’s Lauriane Nolot, who won race two and matched Aldridge on points. Nolot described the experience as a long-awaited moment, sharing, “It’s quite a good feeling to be leading after day one.” The USA’s Daniela Moroz also performed well, winning race four.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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Britain’s iQFOiL windsurfer Emma Wilson failed to beat Olympic sailing’s cruellest, toughest made-for- TV medal format again as she landed the bronze medal finishing behind Italy’s Martta Magetti and Israel’s Sharon Kantor in the first ever Olympic Medal Race for the new foiling windsurfing class.

After building a huge lead – counting seven firsts, two seconds and two thirds – over the 14 initial series races Wilson qualified directly – as the new format dictates – for the three board Medal Race. But after leading on the first circuit Italy’s 2022 world champion Magetti tacked early on the second upwind, achieving a better, higher angle and was able to close down Wilson and current world champion Kantor.

Initially Wilson was inconsolable. At consecutive world championships in The Hague and this year in Lanzarote, despite dominating the preliminary series, coming in ‘cold’ to the sudden death both times she has not been able to convert to gold.

But today after realising the depth of her achievements and meeting the legions of family, friends and British supporters on the beach in Marseille she said, “I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to carry on with this. It’s so hard. As a person, I love it so much, that’s why I do it, but I’m not sure I can carry on with the format like this.

Marta Maggetti wrapped up a memorable gold medal for Italy. Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

“I’m really proud of my performance this week. I did it at the Worlds the same, like a 60 point lead, just dominated that. Maybe a medal doesn’t mean anything, maybe it’s just how you go about the sport. How you approach it in life.”

She added, “As a kid, if you’d told me [I’d be a double Olympic medallist] I’d be really happy. In a while I’ll be really proud, but it’s so hard, and I think I’ve made some mistakes today. “

Of the supportive crowds she said, “It’s so nice to have support. In Tokyo we didn’t have anything, so it’s so cool to have my family and friends here. I turned off my phone all week but I think it might blow up when I turn it back on. I’m so grateful for everyone supporting me.”

For Magetti who grew up in Cagliari, Sardinia and finished fourth in the RS:X behind Wilson in Tokyo it is Italy’s first Olympic windsurfing gold since the legendary Alessandra Sensini who collected four medals between 1996 and 2008, winning gold in Sydney in 2000, silver in 2008 in Qingdao and bronzes in Atlanta and Athens.

Whilst Kantor who only secured her selection to the Olympics by winning the 2024 worlds – ahead of her third and eighth placed compatriots, Israel highlighted the continued depth of their windsurfing talent as Tom Reuveny took gold ahead of Australia’s Grae Morris in silver and the Netherland’s Luc van Opzeeland. After a tough start to his Olympics in the light winds GBR’s Sam Sills took a creditable fifth overall.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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Windsurfing has been a part of the Olympic sailing competition since the 1980s, but Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 is the first time we will see a foiling windsurfer take part in the Olympic regatta. The windsurfing is the first of the Olympic sailing events to start and takes place from 28 July – 2 August 2024.

The IQFoil is a windsurfing class selected by World Sailing to replace the previous olympic windsurfer, the RS:X, for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sailors competing in the IQFoil fleet may only use a single sail – a notable difference from many windsurfing events, where multiple sails sizes may be used. The sail size for the men’s class is 9m2.

The women’s Olympic windsurfer features a slightly smaller sail than the men’s class at 8m2. For both the men’s and women’s classes, the rider has a choice between using a hydrofoil or a conventional 68 cm fin, with the former being used in all but the lightest of conditions.

After the cancellation of racing yesterday due to a lack of wind, the Olympic windsurfing competition competitors are set to conclude their regatta today, Saturday 3 August.

For those new to Olympic Windsurfing, the format is slightly different to other Olympic Sailing Medal Race Days.

At the end of the Opening Series, the top ten athletes will qualify for the Medal Series. Those ranked fourth to tenth compete in a Quarter-Final, with the top two reaching the Semi-Final.

They will then face the athletes that finished second and third in the Opening Series. Two will progress from the Semi-Final, joining the top overall athlete in the Final.

The three athletes in the Final are all guaranteed a medal, so the finishing order in the Final race will determine who wins what medal.

Olympic windsurfing schedule for Medal Racing is: 

• Women’s Olympic Windsurfer Quarter-Final – 11:13 local
• Men’s Olympic Windsurfer Quarter-Final – 11:33 local
• Women’s Olympic Windsurfer Semi-Final – 11:53 local
• Men’s Olympic Windsurfer Semi-Final – 12:18 local
• Women’s Olympic Windsurfer Final – 12:33 local
• Men’s Olympic Windsurfer Final – 13:03 local

Read on to find out how to watch Olympic windsurfing live streams in Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada – and beyond.

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics Sailing live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing live stream just below.

How to stream Olympic windsurfing in Australia for free

The 9Network broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympic channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD filled with Olympic content 24 hours a day. Plus, 9Now will stream 40 individual channels live and on-demand, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event, as well as extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.

The best way to watch the sailing will be via the 9Now app, which will feature: Over 40 channels LIVE, FREE and in HD, Replays, highlights and ‘Minis’ for the best action on-demand. Multi-language captions, Event guide and much more

For those on a desktop, simply visit the 9Network

You can also download the 9Now app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your Smart TV, mobile or tablet.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic windsurfing in the UK for free

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic sailing live you will need to head to Discovery+. A £3.99 special Olympic offer subscription will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the sailing taking place on the Marseille and Corniche racecourses and all medal races – but you will need to sign up before 11 August to access the deal.

However the BBC will usually run a decent chunk of live coverage plus daily highlights shows, as per Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, so you might be better served to go with that BBC iPlayer free option if don’t feel the need to watch every last second of every race.

How to watch Olympic windsurfing in the USA

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month  for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage

How to watch Olympic windsurfing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or a special Olympic subscription deal is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

What is the Paris 2024 Olympic windsurfing schedule?

Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 begins on 28 July and continues until 2 August.

July 28

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series

July 29

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series

July 30

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series

August 1

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon

August 2

Men’s Windsurfing – Medal Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Medal Series

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Riding a huge wave of confidence after guiding Spain to victory as underdogs in Sail GP’s grand final in San Francisco, Diego Botin and Florian Trittel produced a gun-to-gun medal race victory to clinch the Olympic Skiff gold medal at Paris 2024.

Young Kiwi pair Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie took silver to extend their nations run of skiff medal successes which goes back to 2012 whilst the USA’s Ian Barrows and Hans Henken grabbed bronze.

Probably ranked as joint gold medal favourites along with the Dutch world champions Bart Lambriex and Floris van der Verken, the Spanish 49er duo managed to maintain the highest level of consistency though an Olympic Sailing regatta of very mixed, often light conditions.

They led the fleet into today’s medal race whilst the Dutch only scraped in at the 11th hour after the Chinese pairing were disqualified for a technical rules infringement on their boat.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

In the 10-11 knots of SW’ly breeze the Spanish duo timed their start best and were quickly powered up and in the lead. Among the four Olympic Skiff teams which jumped the gun were Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove. After going into the medal race in second position they finished ninth to drop to fourth overall.

It is a bitter double Olympic disappointment for the Irish pair who were cruelly disqualified from two races in Tokyo for a trapeze harness which was 90 grammes too heavy.

Helm Botin told waiting journalists, “It is such an honour to have won the first gold medal for Spain, it is an indescribable feeling. It has been a very tough week, our weather conditions have not been great, and yet we have managed to do it.

“But we have spent many years preparing for this moment. We have failed many times but without those failures and the accumulated experiences it would have been impossible to achieve what we have achieved today. Today we have combined all that experience, all that work, and we have achieved the gold, the best that can be achieved. To have done it with all our team and our families here is to do it in the best scenario.”

Trittel added, “For us there was no other result, we had visualised this situation many times and there was no other result. These have been long days, and yesterday not being able to win the Medal… it has seemed eternal. But everything has turned out perfectly.

“It has been a tough week physically and also mentally. The key was to stay focused until the last day, which was costly and difficult, but once again, when push came to shove, we managed to handle the pressure, put in a great Medal Race and take this victory. This victory belongs to everyone who supported us and without them, we would certainly not be here.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Dutch team takes the Women’s Olympic Skiff win

A minor aberration – sailing low when leading to where they thought the finish line was – cost Dutch world champions Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz certain victory in the Medal Race and dropped them to third, but they landed the first sailing gold medal of Paris 2024.

Whilst France’s Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon – overall leaders by a point – started by the signal boat and struggled for wind pressure early on the first upwind, the Dutch duo were fastest and smoothest round the course until they misplaced the finish line.

Their mistake allowed Sweden’s powerhouse duo Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler to win the silver.

For three times 49er FX World Champion Duetz it is her second medal after winning bronze with Annemiek Bekkering at Tokyo 2020.

Van Aanholt summed up their feelings, “We are kind of used to the changes in the weather we always just look to control what we can control, but it is has been quite a tough week with so many changes in the weather. But it showcases all the different faces of our sport and it also showcases you cannot just be a one trick pony. We were upset about some days and proud at others, we are so especially very proud of how we sailed today, it is how you want to sail a race. We would have wished the boys better because they are such great sailors. It is what it is.”

Photo: World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli

Inspirational Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon were ecstatic to deliver France their first sailing medal of Paris 2024, taking bronze in front of the huge partisan crowd. Steyaert had taken a five year break after her sixth in the Laser Radial in Rio 2016 before joining up with double Olympic windsurfing medallist Picon in the Women’s Skiff.

With their very young families they set up camp in La Rochelle. The support of their family, team and friends has been key but their success owes as much to their ability to still thrive whilst training and at major events balancing domestic and competitive requirements.

Taking silver at the last European Championships gave them the final element of self belief required coming into these Olympics. Their tactical nous, maturity under pressure and speed in the light served them well, but giving 10 kilos away to the more powerful duos saw them struggle for speed at times, especially against the Dutch world champions and the Swedes who took silver.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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Britain’s Emma Wilson has dominated the Women’s Olympic Windsurfing event at Paris 2024 securing a medal with a day to spare. She adds this second medal to the bronze she won in Tokyo. From the outside that might seem like a simple repeat of medal success in windsurfing but in the three years since Tokyo the Windsurfing event has undergone a complete overhaul with the racing taking place on completely different equipment and with an entirely new race format.

Despite these significant changes to her event, Emma Wilson was expected to podium after a consistent season which saw her take silver or bronze at all the major class events – iQFOiL medal races see just three sailors fight it out for gold and we picked her out as a medal prospect in our Olympic Sailing form guide.

25-year-old Emma Wilson has swiftly risen through the ranks of international windsurfing, establishing herself as one of Britain’s premier sailors. Hailing from a sporting family in Christchurch, Dorset, Wilson’s journey has been marked by dedication, resilience, and passion for the sport.

Photo: Sander Van Der Borsch / World Sailing

Wilson’s mother, Penny Wilson (née Way), also competed in Olympic windsurfing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and her brother, Dan Wilson, is also a professional sailor.

Emma’s early promise was evident when she clinched the U15 Techno 293 World Championships and the U15 RS event at just 12 years old. This success set the stage for a flourishing career, highlighted by her victories at the Youth Sailing World Championships in 2016 and 2017.

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Emma Wilson secured her first major senior medal at the 2018 RS:X European Championships, where she finished third. She continued to build on this momentum, placing third overall at the 2019 RS:X European Championships and narrowly missing a podium finish at the 2020 RS:X World Championships.

Photo: Sander Van Der Borsch / World Sailing

During much of this time she was pushing the then incumbent British Olympic Windsurfing representative Bryony Shaw whose Bronze was Team GB’s first ever women’s windsurfing medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing

Having won a bronze medal in Tokyo, Emma Wilson faced a significant challenge as the RS:X class was replaced by the iQFOIL, a newer, faster board that foils above the water. Reflecting on this transition, Wilson told TeamGB that, “It was pretty hard at the start. There was a lot of crashing and quite a few injuries along the way. I broke my toe, had surgery on my arm, and tore a ligament in my hand”. Despite these setbacks, she embraced the challenge, giving herself three months to adapt to the new equipment. Her perseverance paid off as she found herself excelling in the new class, winning silver and bronze at the 2022 and 2023 European Championships, respectively.

Wilson’s achievements in the iQFOIL class have been remarkable. She medaled in every event in 2023 and she has carried this dominance into the Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 being the clear leader in the Opening Series, which was enough to guarantee her at least a bronze medal before the final day of competition.

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Thursday was supposed to see Medal Racing for the Men’s Olympic Skiff, the 49er and Women’s Olympic Skiff, the 49er FX. However despite the Men getting their race started on two occasions, the wind disappeared mid-race both times and the racing had to be halted. The Skiff racers – male and female – are hoping the forecast for better breeze today, Friday, actually comes to pass on the Bay of Marseille.

Racing may not have got underway for the Olympic Skiff classes, but elsewhere the Olympic Sailing competition continued on Thursday in Marseille, as athletes across various classes are positioning themselves for potential podium finishes. The day’s events showcased consistency, skill, and strategy under challenging conditions.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Windsurfing: Emma Wilson Secures Medal, Eyes Gold

Great Britain’s Emma Wilson has guaranteed herself a Women’s Olympic Windsurfing medal after finishing at the top of the Windsurfing standings in the Opening Series. Wilson’s strong performance, including a win in the final race of the day, left her 31 points ahead of her competitors, securing her a spot in the Final where she will compete for gold.

Reflecting on her achievement, Wilson said, “It’s really cool to be guaranteed a medal. Just to perform how I’ve done this week at the Olympics is pretty cool. I don’t approach tomorrow differently; I’ll just keep following my routine.”

Israel’s Sharon Kantor, who secured a place in the Semi-Final with a solid second-place finish in the final race, and Italy’s Marta Maggetti will be closely watching the Quarter-Final results to determine their opponents.

For those new to Olympic Windsurfing, the format is slightly different to other Olympic Sailing Medal Race Days.

At the end of the Opening Series, the top ten athletes will qualify for the Medal Series. Those ranked fourth to tenth compete in a Quarter-Final, with the top two reaching the Semi-Final.

They will then face the athletes that finished second and third in the Opening Series. Two will progress from the Semi-Final, joining the top overall athlete in the Final.

The three athletes in the Final are all guaranteed a medal, so the finishing order in the Final race will determine who wins what medal.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s Windsurfing: Morris Leads, Gold Within Reach

Australia’s Grae Morris clinched a medal in Men’s Windsurfing, topping the leaderboard after a series of consistent finishes. He now faces the pressure of maintaining his lead in the Final race. Morris reflected on the challenge, stating, “It feels good now, but knowing that you have to pull off the next best thing tomorrow makes it a bit nerve-wracking. The gold medal is still in play and that won’t leave my mind tonight.”

Close behind Morris are Israel’s Tom Reuveny and New Zealand’s Josh Armit, both securing spots in the Semi-Final. Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski, finishing fourth, noted the difficulty of the conditions and the upcoming challenge in the Quarter-Final.

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Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Men’s Dinghy: Peschiera Takes Early Lead

Peru’s Stefano Peschiera made a strong start in the Men’s Olympic Dinghy, finishing first in the second race and establishing an early seven-point lead in the ILCA 7 class. Peschiera, a veteran of the Rio and Tokyo Games, leveraged his experience to navigate the tricky conditions in Marseille.

“It was tricky. There were really patchy conditions out there,” Peschiera commented. “We’re going to take away all the good things and learn from any mistakes.”

Reigning Olympic champion Matt Wearn of Australia remains a close contender, finishing second in the day’s races, with Portugal’s Eduardo Marques following in third.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Dinghy: Cervera Shines in Debut

France’s Louise Cervera made an impressive debut in the Women’s Dinghy, winning the first race of the ILCA 6 class. Cervera managed the shifting winds expertly, taking an early lead and securing the first yellow jersey of her Olympic career.

“It’s nice to start with a victory,” Cervera said. “Taking the first yellow jersey at my first Olympic Games gives me confidence.”

China’s Min Gu and Italy’s Chiara Benini Floriani also had strong starts, finishing second and third respectively. With a second race postponed due to lack of wind, the competitors will face a packed schedule as they continue to vie for medals.

As the competition progresses, the athletes’ strategies and adaptability will be tested under Marseille’s unpredictable conditions.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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The two-man 470 dinghy was designed by André Cornu over 50 years ago and been an Olympic boat since 1976. At the Olympic Sailing in Paris 2024 it will be sailed by mixed pairs.

“Very complex and fine-tuned, there is no tweak the 470 hasn’t undergone!” says Heathcote. “Everyone goes through the class rules with a fine-tooth comb and strives to forge a new, faster, more effective modification for the already highly developed boat and systems.

“But what really stands true to its Olympic nature is how this obsessive search for technical perfection doesn’t tint the fierce competition on the water.

“A positive to the boat’s complexity is that a balance can be found for pretty much any size and style of team – the combinations between hull, rig, foils, sail shape, settings can create infinite combinations and somewhere in there is the perfect one for your team! Call me biased, but the 470 is a true specimen of a boat and watching them on the water makes me think there’s none better.”

Photo: Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

Olympic 470 class stats rating

Top speed: 19 knots
LOA: 4.7m/15ft 5in
Launched: 1963
Berths: 0
Price: from £13,000
Adrenalin factor: 70%

Vita Heathcote

Vita Heathcote is the youngest member of the British Sailing Team competing at the Paris Games, aged 22. She helms the 470 with experienced crew Chris Grube. As a junior Heathcote won the Optimist Nationals and 420 World Championships, and hails from an Olympic family – uncle Nick Rogers twice won 470 silver, at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

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What I love about the Olympics is that I find myself leaning forward in anticipation when watching sports I wouldn’t usually do. The Olympics is like a buffet with food from lots of different cultures; we can try things to see if they’re to our taste. And if something doesn’t keep us wanting to return for more, we can try digesting something else. After sitting down to absorb Olympic sailing, I questioned the ingredients of these sports.

So, here are some queries I had and their answers for those who want to get their teeth into Olympic sailing.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

How does the start work in Olympic Sailing?

All races have a 5 minute countdown to the start. During this time, competitors slowly jockey for position, aiming to reach the most favourable spot. Depending on conditions, it may look like the boats will not make it to the start line in time! However, I discovered how quickly the sailors can prepare themselves when the timer runs low.

The start is a crucial part of the Olympic Sailing competition.

Typically the startline is at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the wind with one end called the ‘pin end’ and the other the ‘committee boat end’ or simply ‘boat end’. The ‘boat end’ will have a vessel with flags o, which officials raise as they count down to the start. Whereas the ‘pin end’ is just a small floating buoy or mark.

Sailing boats can’t sail straight into the wind, so they start zig-zagging towards the first mark, which is directly upwind of the start. At the start, sailors choose whether to be on the course’s left or right side and pick their spot on the startline accordingly.

The startline may be ‘biased’, with one end slightly closer to the first mark than the other end. Understandably, this bias factors into competitors’ position decision-making.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 1 August, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Why might Olympic Sailing be delayed?

Sailing is fairly unusual as a sport in that it relies heavily on the wind. Perhaps Olympic surfing is the only other sport at that Games that relies so much on the weather. Due to this symbiotic relationship with the wind, occasionally, organisers delay Olympic sailing events.

Both wind direction stability and wind force can affect whether sailing events occur. Very little wind will mean no one makes a start due to organisers postponing the race. At the other end of the scale, extreme wind is another cause for sailors to wait longer before crossing the starting line. If the wind isn’t flowing in a steady direction, race officials aren’t able to set a course for competition as they require the wind to come from one way. So, wind frequently changing direction causes race delays.

Thankfully for sailing fans, wide-ranging conditions can allow these races to happen.

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How much is enough Knots for a sailing race?

Sailors typically measure windspeed in Knots. One knot is equal to one nautical mile per hour, which is roughly 1.15 miles per hour (mph) or 1.85 kilometers per hour (kph).

Different boat types can sail in various weather conditions. However, a rough rule for racing is that a wind below 5 knots is too light, and above 30 knots is too windy.

What does wind “filling in” mean?

The wind is a fickle force. It doesn’t flow consistently everywhere, meaning the wind is stronger in certain sailing course areas than others. And these strong wind patches will change.

With the strongest wind comes the potential for boats to sail the fastest. And as sailing races work on a first-to-finish basis, the strong wind is where sailors want to be.

Part of the skill of Olympic Sailing is spotting and anticipating where the best wind is. Sailors analyse wind conditions by looking at the water as darker coloured water means more wind, lighter less.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

When a commentator says the wind is ‘filling in’, they usually mean the wind is increasing in a certain section or evening out across the course. So the phrase ‘the wind is filling in where they are on the left of the course’ refers to the wind becoming stronger there (and therefore, the sailors there will be moving faster).

Perhaps slightly confusingly, sailors often refer to the wind as ‘pressure’. So you might hear a commentator mention, ‘they are sailing in more pressure here,’ which is saying the competitors are sailing in more wind and, therefore, going faster.

Why are the boats always changing direction?

Boats can’t sail directly into the wind; they zig-zag to make their way upwind (towards the wind). Most races start with the boats zig-zagging upwind from the start to the first mark.

A boat will sail ‘close hauled’ and then tack by steering the boat through the wind before sailing ‘close hauled’ in the other direction.

After tacking, boats sail around a series of course marks. The course shape varies. However, usually, competitors sail upwind and then downwind (sailing in the direction the wind is blowing) for a few laps. When boats sail downwind, they usually zig-zag again to sail quickly.

Due to the zig-zagging, there is a lot of changing direction in Olympic Sailing. The sailors will mostly find their way to the next mark, choosing the best course area for sailing on. Sailors meet at the marks, all changing direction at the same time.

What is the sail that disappears?

Depending on the wind direction and the type of boat, you may see a colourful sail that is sometimes on the boat and gets pulled back in. This sail is called a spinnaker. At the Olympic Sailing events, the 49er, 49er FX, 470 and Nacra 17 boats all have a spinnaker.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

This big balloon-shaped sail makes the boats go faster. However, sailors can’t use the spinnaker when the vessels sails upwind (close-hauled). So when athletes turn around a mark and start going downwind, one sailor pulls on a rope that yanks this sail up.

When the competitors reach the next mark and are about to go upwind again, they tug another rope to haul the sail back into its storage bag inside the boat. It reminds me of a disappearing magician’s handkerchief!

What is a layline?

In Olympic Sailing racing terms, a layline is an imaginary line extending from the mark closest to the sailors down the course. The layline indicates the point where it’s ideal for a boat to change direction to get to the mark the quickest.

When a boat is sailing close hauled while zig-zagging upwind (into the wind) they are at about a 45º angle from the wind. So a layline for a mark upwind extends away from an upwind mark at about 45º from the wind in either direction.

To reach the mark the fastest and most efficiently, sailors try to tack or gybe (change direction by zig-zagging) at the right point on the layline.

Competitors in the Women’s Skiff (49er FX) class both trapezing. Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

What does trapezing mean?

Olympic Sailing classes require the athletes to counter balance the wind on their sails. On a yacht sailors do this with a big, heavy keel under the water. However, there are no yachts in Olympic Sailing, so none have this stability tool. Instead the competitors use their weight to balance against the wind’s force in the sails. The further out from the boat the sailors can get, the more wind they can counter-balance and therefore the faster they go.

There are three primary ways athletes counter-balance, which are:

• Trapezing – For this manoeuvre, sailors stand on the side of the boat, dangling off ropes from the mast (a vertical pole holding up the sails). Athletes have a special harness with a hook, which they attach to ropes hanging down whenever they change direction. Trapezing is a bit like hiking, however, the rope support allows sailors to get further away from the boat’s middle. Therefore, using this technique sailors can counter balance more wind.
• Hiking – Where the sailors lean over their vessel’s side with their feet hooked under a strap in the boat. This skill targets the stomach muscles and is highly tiring over lengthy periods. The position is like getting to a sit-up’s middle point and holding it for a long while.
• Direct counter balance – This isn’t a commonly used phrase. However, it is a sufficient summary for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Here the athlete attaches the sail, or kite directly to the athlete (either by handles or a harness) and the competitors lean against the sail forces. Again, the more the competitors lean, the more power they can counter balance and faster they travel.

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The post 8 bite-sized lessons I needed to understand how Olympic sailing works appeared first on Yachting World.

The Olympic Sailing competition in Marseille continued to deliver excitement and drama as competitors battled challenging conditions ahead of the crucial Medal Races for the Men’s Skiff and Women’s Skiff, set to take place on Thursday 1 August 2024.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Men’s Skiff: Spanish Duo Hold Narrow Lead

Spain’s Diego Botin and Florian Trittel maintained their lead in the Men’s Skiff despite a challenging day that saw them finish outside the top five in all races. Nevertheless, their performance throughout the series secured them a five-point lead heading into Thursday’s Medal Race. Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove stayed in contention for gold, while New Zealand’s Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie held onto third place.

Botin expressed confidence and determination ahead of the final race, stating, “We have the tools to achieve it, so we are going to go all out. It will be the tightest Medal Race in the history of the 49er at the Games.” The top seven crews remain in contention, promising a thrilling conclusion.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Women’s Skiff: French Pair Regain Top Spot

Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon of France reclaimed the lead in the Women’s Skiff after a series of consistent finishes. The Dutch team of Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz, who had an off day, are close behind in second. Sweden’s Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler had a stellar day, winning the first two races and holding onto third overall.

Picon reflected on the day’s challenges, noting, “It was a critical day with the same unstable winds as yesterday. We can be proud of the reaction in the two next races.” With several teams still in contention for medals, the final race promises to be highly competitive.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Windsurfing: Wilson Extends Dominance

Emma Wilson of Great Britain extended her commanding lead in Women’s Olympic Windsurfing, winning three races after the Marathon Race was abandoned due to lack of wind. Wilson now sits 19 points ahead, with Israel’s Sharon Kantor as her closest rival and Italy’s Marta Maggetti maintaining third place.

Maggetti expressed a mix of exhaustion and focus, saying, “I’m happy and I’m staying focused. My results are pretty consistent, so I hope it stays like this.” With cumulative results determining the final standings, athletes will soon discard their worst finishes, adding another layer of strategy to the competition.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s Windsurfing: Morris Climbs to the Top

Australia’s Grae Morris delivered his best performance so far, taking the lead in Men’s Windsurfing. With consistent top finishes, including a race win, Morris edged ahead of Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski. Israel’s Tom Reuveny remained in the top three despite mixed results.

Reuveny acknowledged the difficulties, stating, “It was not the best of days. Everyone had bad races, so it’s a hard fleet and everyone is sailing very well.” The competition remains open as sailors approach the final stages.

As the Olympic Sailing event heads into the decisive Medal Races, competitors are poised for an intense battle on the water, with medals and Olympic glory on the line.

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The post Olympic Sailing 2024: Highlights from Day Five in Marseille appeared first on Yachting World.

The third day of the Olympic Sailing competition in Marseille saw a continuation of the shifty weather that we have seen in the opening days, but an increase in wind has delivered some impressive performances across the fleets, with new winners to the fore.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Women’s Windsurfing: Wilson’s Dominance Continues

Great Britain’s Emma Wilson demonstrated her versatility and dominance in Women’s Olympic Windsurfing, clinching three victories despite the tricky, windier conditions. Wilson’s consistency has kept her firmly at the top of the leaderboard, proving her skills in varying conditions.

Sharon Kantor of Israel showed resilience, overcoming the unpredictable gusts to secure two race wins, propelling her to second place overall. Italy’s Marta Maggetti maintained her position in the top three with strong finishes, despite the challenging conditions.

Kantor reflected on the day’s difficulties, noting the instability of the wind and the need for constant focus.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Men’s Skiff: Spanish Duo Surge to the Top

In the Men’s Olympic Skiff category, Spain’s Diego Botin and Florian Trittel surged to the top of the leaderboard. The pair navigated the variable winds expertly, securing two second-place finishes. Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove managed to hold onto second place overall, despite a challenging day, while New Zealand’s Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie slipped to third after struggling with the difficult conditions.

Botin said: “Today was a very tough day with a different scenario in the first race than in the two next ones.

“In the first race the wind was coming from the left side of the mountain and in the next two races the wind was turning on the right side.

“We managed to position the boat well and we are really happy with having done so at such a difficult day at the Olympics and we will see if tomorrow we can have a similar day and repeat it.”

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Men’s Windsurfing: Van Opzeeland’s Return to Form

The Netherlands’ Luuc van Opzeeland made a remarkable comeback in Men’s Windsurfing, capitalising on the windier conditions to take the lead. Despite a slow start, he found his rhythm, winning two races and securing his place at the top of the results.

Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski remained consistent, securing second place with top-five finishes, while Israel’s Tom Reuveny showed strong form to stay close in third.

Van Opzeeland expressed satisfaction with his performance, especially in adapting to the stronger winds. “The wind actually got pretty strong, so in the last race I managed to lock in and bring it home. So overall I’m really happy with that,” the Dutchan explained.

“I’m feeling good. I’m ready for tomorrow and hopefully I can put in another good show for you guys at home.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Skiff: Dutch Duo Reclaim Control

In the Women’s Skiff, Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz of the Netherlands bounced back after a challenging second day. Their impressive third and second-place finishes on the third day propelled them back to the top of the standings.

Leaders going into the third day of racing, France’s Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon had a tough day, failing to place in the top ten, yet they remain close behind the leaders. Sweden’s Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler showcased their potential with strong performances, including a first-place finish, moving them up to third overall.

Steyaert said: “Every day we say we have to be alive and every race that’s what we are doing.

“We knew there are some teams that are really heavy and we are not so we are playing with that.”

As the competition continues, athletes are preparing for potentially stronger winds, promising another thrilling day on the water.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Olympic Sailing 2024: Highlights from Day Four in Marseille appeared first on Yachting World.

It has long been held that the Olympic sailing medallists emerging from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be the athletes best able to perform across a wide range of the varying wind conditions which are expected to change from day to day in high summer.

The gentle conditions and very warm conditions have meant a big mental challenge. Day 1 for the skiffs was very much about picking a side and staying with the best pressure. The good news is that the breeze should be better from here and a glamour weekend is predicted.

“It was a very patchy day today, very ‘head out of the boat’. These first two days look to be the lightest of the whole regatta. From Tuesday there will be a bit more gradient around, from the SE to about West and quite variable. We should have a decent NW’ly to W’ly for the weekend – it is a bit too early to say, but it will then be a boatspeed regatta for the weekend and hopefully into early next week.” Explained Simon Rowell, the British Sailing Team’s meteorologist.

“One of the nice things about Marseille is it is a very varied location and we are getting that at the moment.”

The women’s iQFoil fleet competing at the 2024 Olympic sailing competition. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Double 49er Olympian and past world champion, Sail GP commentator Stevie Morrison is coaching Britain’s kitesurfing representative Ellie Aldridge. He observes, “It is really so hot here but the mood at the regatta is great. But it is so typical of sailing. There has been good breeze and good practice here for days and now it’s light.

“There has been such a lack of pressure gradient anywhere so it has been a slow start. The element of expectation and anticipation is so great for the first time Olympians who think this is going to be the biggest and best event of their career and one race yesterday they were rushing to stick to the TV schedule so did not move the start line.

“But then in Beijng I drifted across the start line barely moving boom wafting about….the Olympics is never quite what you imagine it to be. But it is the same as any other regatta in the sense it is problem solving and a test of the human. Age and experience helps and success is personality driven.”

Morrison adds, “The atmosphere is great and a good number of sailors went up to the opening and there were a good number of sailors among the flag bearers which is great to see. And there is this element of being an event we have to be ready for anything. Come the weekend we will see 15- 16knots from the NW.

“This a European event, everyone has been in and out many time building familiarity unlike Japan where we could not do that. Here it feels like a classic, familiar normal venue. But then it is never normal when the branding us up and you have to go through every two minutes and there are a million rules you have to follow. How you deal with all that as an athlete is key.”

The French team leads the Women’s Skiff fleet after 6 races. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

French Olympic sailors set to be home heroes?

Great things are expected of the French team who from the ten Olympic disciplines have at least six very strong medal hopes, some would say eight. The host nation’s Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon– two thirds of France’s ‘Mama Team’ of Olympic sailing mums – lead the Women’s Skiff class after six races, finishing second in five of them.

With winds so far struggling into double figures, only peaking at 10-11 today, the conditions have been good for the French duo who are renowned for being good in the light. Picon 2016 gold medallist in the RS:X windsurfer and Steyaert – a past ILCA 6 world champion – have maturity and experience on their side which may prove critical though the second half of the skiff event and into the Medal race.

Their powerful Men’s skiff counterparts Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin, who in February won this year’s world title in breezy Lanzarote, have so far struggled in the lighter winds and lie seventh. Diego Botin and Florian Trittel, fourth in 2020 and this year’s world championship bronze medallists, who are on a high after leading Spain to overall victory in SailGP moved up to third today chasing the young ‘McKiwis’ Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie who won another two races today and are runaway leaders.

But French hopes were given a boost too today as Nico Goyard, one of their best medal hopes, won the first ever iQFOiL Olympic race for the foiling windsurfers, while Team GB’s Emma Wilson led the first Women’s race from start to finish. Finishing second behind Spain’s Pilar Lamadrid Wilson tops the leaderboard.

Aside from their early leaders Picon and Steyaert and Goyard – who is three times world champion in different windsurf classes – France have medal prospects in both kite classes where they have strength and depth across the kiting hotspots of the Med, especially with double world champion Laurianne Nolot.

Singapore’s young Max Maeder is a class apart and considered the out and out favourite in the Men’s Kite but Axel Mazella should medal. Many consider the 470 mixed duo of Camille Lecointre, double Olympic bronze medallist and Jérémie Mion, gold medallist in the 470 at the world championships have a strong chance on their home waters.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

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There have been many changes to the Olympic Sailing boats – or Olympic sailing classes – since the last, Covid delayed, Games in Tokyo, so what are the new Olympic Boats zipping around in the stunning Mediterranean weather in the Olympic sailing venue in Marseilles?

Two of the new Olympic sailing events do not take place in boats at all, but are the Olympic Windsurfing and Olympic Kitesurfing events, which along with the Olympic Dinghy, Olympic Multihull, and Olympic Skiff events all fall under the ‘Olympic Sailing’ banner.

Both the windsurfing and kitesurfing events at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be zooming around out of the water on hydrofoils – as is the case for the Olympic Multihull, the Nacra 17 Catamaran.

Olympic Sailing in Paris 2024 runs from 28th July – 8th Aug

The 10 events that will take place in Paris 2024 will be:

• Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
• Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
• Men’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
• Women’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
• Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
• Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
• Men’s Skiff – 49er
• Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
• Mixed Dinghy – 470 – NEW for 2024
• Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Paris 2024 Olympic Boats

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Windsurfer – IQFoil – Men & women

The IQFoil is a windsurfing class selected by World Sailing to replace the RS:X for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sailors competing in the IQFoil fleet may only use a single sail – a notable difference from many windsurfing events, where multiple sails sizes may be used. The sail size for the men’s class is 9m2.

The women’s Olympic windsurfer features a slightly smaller sail than the men’s class at 8m2. For both the men’s and women’s classes, the rider has a choice between using a hydrofoil or a conventional 68 cm fin, with the former being used in all but the lightest of conditions.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Kitesurfer – Formula Kite – Women & Men

Formula Kite will make its Olympic debut in 2024 having been selected by World Sailing to effectively replace two Olympic Dinghy events. The class features a soft, foil kite and a board with a hydrofoil.

For both men’s and Women’s fleets, the Formula Kite classes do not feature one-design kit, but instead competitors use their choice of approved production equipment. The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) manages the class.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 3 Race Day on 11th July 2023.

Olympic Multihull – Nacra 17 – Mixed

The first mixed class in sailing at the Olympics, the Nacra 17 must have one male and one female, though which role they take (helm or crew) is up to the teams.

The Nacra 17 is a very high performance catamaran and now features hydrofoils allowing the boat to zip around above the surface of the water. It can be very fast and very difficult to control, which can result in races with many lead changes.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Singlehanded Dinghy – ILCA 7  (Men) + ILCA 6 (Women)

Formerly known at the Laser and the Laser Radial, the ILCA 7 (and women’s ILCA 6) have the largest number of boats at the Olympic sailing regatta. The singlehanded dinghy is a one-design and all sailors are assigned an identical boat at the start of the competition.

The women’s singlehanded dinghy features the same hull as the men’s class with a slightly smaller rig. As with the men’s class, the athletes are assigned a boat at the start of competition.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 7 Race Day on 15th July 2023.

Olympic Skiff – 49erFX (Women) 49er (Men)

The high performance 49er skiff has wings on the side of the boat to increase leverage. Both the helm and crew trapeze from these wings at the same time to increase leverage further still. As a result the boats are fast and difficult to sail requiring a high level of athleticism.

The 49erFX is one of the newest Olympic classes, having been introduced in 2016. The hull is the same at the 49er but the sails are smaller and set on a smaller rig. It still features the two wings and two trapezes and is just as challenging to sail as the 49er.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 5 Race Day on 13th July 2023.

Olympic 2 Person Dinghy – 470 – Mixed

The 470 is a two person dinghy with one helm steering and a crew on the trapeze. for 2024 this has become a mixed event and, like the Nacra 17 must have 1 male and 1 female athlete, though what position they take is up to the crew themselves. Equipment is controlled but can be modified to a degree in order to better match the boat and sailors. Men and women compete in two different fleets for two different medals, though in the same type of boat.

Head over to our Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing page for more on the Olympic Sailing, Olympic sailing form guide, and Olympic sailing boats explainer.

Article continues below…

Who looks set to win the Olympic Sailing medals in Paris 2024?

Could Paris 2024 be one of the best Olympic sailing regattas yet? Hosted by a country truly passionate about sailing,…

Olympic Sailing explained: What you need to know to follow the racing

Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the first Olympiad in 1896 and has changed significantly over the years since.…

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We’re weeks away from the start of one of the biggest seasons in sailing. The Olympic Sailing at Paris 2024 begins at the end of July, with the opening races for the 37th America’s Cup a few weeks later, running through to October… before the Vendée Globe starts in November. All eyes have been on the boats and the teams, trying to gauge who has the upper hand in terms of smart design and performance – but there has also been a huge amount of less visible work on the teams’ clothing.

Does clothing really impact performance? Jimmy Spithill, who will be helmsman for Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli in the America’s Cup, believes it can: “At this level it will make a competitive difference. Whether you are one of the cyclors going through extreme changes of body temperature and heart rate, or a driver or flight controller dealing with wind and constantly being wet – to do your job correctly, clothing is a big factor.”

Many of the world’s major technical apparel brands have sponsorship deals which allow them to test and develop new gear with top professional sailors. The result is a wide spectrum of new features and technology in both offshore, keelboat and dinghy gear, which will soon trickle down to retail products.

Will Harris tested Musto’s MPX Impact gear during the 2022/23 edition of The Ocean Race. PHoto: Antoine Auriol/Team Malizia

Offshore gear

Musto’s R&D team has been working with legendary offshore racer Armel le Cléac’h to come up with a first for the sailing sector: waterproof gear with built-in impact protection. You only have to hear le Cléac’h describing his recent experience racing the 100ft trimaran Maxi Banque Populaire XI in this year’s Arkéa Ultim Challenge to understand why this MPX Impact is a potential game-changer.

“The big difference compared to previous boats is the speed,” he says. “The boat is big – 32m long and we have big foils, so we have speeds of 40-45 knots. You can be at 10 knots when you go into a wave, then a few seconds afterwards at 40 knots, so it’s very important to concentrate to avoid surprises. If you have an impact with something in the water it would be very dangerous, so you need to have protection for the head, but also for the body.”

Musto’s MPX Impact line duly has protective pads integrated with the fabric at the knees, elbows and the hips, where the most common bashes occur. But these pads are not mere wadding – they were developed with specialist company D30, which has patented a gooey orange material of the same name and is used by the military, motorcyclists and extreme sports athletes the world over.

While it is soft and flexible in your hands, the D30 hardens on impact and spreads the load throughout its surface area.

Will Harris tested the gear during 2022/23 The Ocean Race and says it revolutionised the experience. “When you’re crawling around the boat and you’re being hit all the time from all different angles, it gives you some sort of protection. It means you don’t have to spend so much time worrying when you’re on deck changing sails.”

Musto’s MPX Impact offers Armel le Cléac’h protection aboard Maxi Banque Populaire XI. Photo: Marin Le Roux/polaRYSE

On the Malizia foiling IMOCA he says the bow can slam down 12m in big seas – equivalent to falling from a third-floor window. Vendée Globe skippers will be contending with this motion solo.

“You can’t go forward of the mast when in foiling mode, because you’re going to break your leg if you’re up there,” Harris confirms. “Generally, we have to slow the boat down to do any sort of sail change. Typical foiling conditions produce 3m movements, and even then you just have to hold on. It is fun as well sometimes!”

Another key change for the latest generation of foiling Ultims and IMOCAs is the protected cockpits sailors spend most of their time in. Both Harris and le Cléac’h reported that the MPX Impact jacket had another advantage of being easy to doff and don, because of its hybrid smock design.

The Musto design team eschewed the usual tight rubber neck seal of a smock in favour of a quick fasten collar – marginally less waterproof if a green wave catches you, but far more practical for quickly going out on deck. In a further effort to reduce bulk and weight, Musto has eliminated the Cordura reinforcing from the matching trousers.

Ben Ainslie and the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup team wear Henri-Lloyd. Photo: C Gregory/INEOS Britannia

America’s Cup clothing

Meanwhile, on the America’s Cup foiling AC75s, impact protection is important for the head and chest, but aerodynamics and comfort are more critical in the short, intense races.

Those were the key priorities for the New York Yacht Club American Magic entry, who worked with Helly Hansen on the creation of Helly Hansen’s Foil X gear, which is also available to us mere mortals.

“High-speed sailing is evolving at a quick pace,” says senior designer Ida Gullhav. “So, we knew we needed to create something that had never been done before. Bringing in aerodynamics, we needed to create sailing gear that was even more tight-fitting to allow for quick movement on the boat while still being waterproof and windproof.”

A standalone women’s event forms part of the America’s Cup for the first time, so a female-specific line of the Foil X gear has also been carefully developed. “Women’s body shapes tend to vary more, and observing female sailors struggling to adjust their jackets during high-speed manoeuvres inspired us to design a shorter silhouette,” adds Gullhav. “Ultimately, our goal is to create apparel that enhances sailors’ performance.”

Italian sailing gear manufacturer Slam is working with Emirates Team New Zealand, supplying a range of tailor made technical gear for the men’s, women’s and youth squads. Some, like the specialist winter training uniform, will never be seen on the racecourse. These include a stretch spray top and a special long parka that has a waterproof rating of 15,000mm and breathability of 10,000g/m2/24h, warm thanks to Thermolite TL padding and fleece lining.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s kit comes from Italian manufacturer Slam

“The ETNZ sailing team asked for them as warm-up gear to wear immediately after the training sessions,” says marketing manager Alessandra Aondio.

Others have been specifically designed for each crew member’s position in the boat, from highly breathable gear for the powerhouse cyclor crew to water- and wind-proofing for the helm.

“We developed a specific technical rashguard and bike shorts made of ultralight mesh jersey, ultra-stretch and anti-pilling sensitive fabric. It is lightweight and breathable, quick-dry and with UV protection factor 50+, as well as being antibacterial.” Only selected garments are available as replicas.

Henri-Lloyd has renewed its partnership with Ben Ainslie for his third tilt at the Cup with INEOS Britannia. In the highly secretive world of fractional gains, the manufacturer is revealing little in terms of innovations, but says it has used body mapping to design wetsuits made of 75% bio rubber.

“The INEOS neoprene styles represent the most innovative sailing wetsuits available on the market, offering ultimate performance sustainably,” says head of marketing Rachel Hodgson. “The wetsuits provide superior manoeuvrability and durability, while their updated 3D bodymapping provides greater comfort and warmth.”

None of the INEOS gear is available at retail level, but Henri Lloyd’s Smart-Therm jacket also uses bodymapping technology and can be found on the shelf. Using heat cameras to identify hot and cold spots on the body during different sailing activities, technicians built up a picture of where to add insulation and where to add ventilation. The jacket features a Y-shaped panel down the spine which ventilates, as well as under the arms, while the overarms, collar, chest and other parts of the back have warming panels.

Helly Hansen is supplying the American Magic ‘Cup entry

Designed as a midlayer for sportsboats and big boat sailing, it bridges the gap, providing a water-resistant jacket that can keep your body at a comfortable temperature whether you’re standing watch or winching for dear life. It uses three different recycled fabrics and greener Durable Water Repellent (DWR) treatment. The gilet costs £135 and the jacket £165.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing has recruited the know-how of Sweden’s Sail Racing clothing brand, which has launched a precise technical replica line for fans. The limited-edition team jacket uses Gore-Tex Pro Stretch fabric to combine extreme waterproofing and breathability with agility (at a cost of £1,000!).

However, when it comes to team kit, they aren’t revealing many secrets yet either.

“We have used new fabrics, tested new constructions and innovative improvements, but we will not be more specific at this stage – all will be revealed in due time on the racecourse,” says Olivia Norman, head of athletes and marketing.

The Italian consortium Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has extended its partnership with the Woolmark Company to develop garments from high performance Merino wool, which has exceptional breathability and good waterproofing properties.

“Contrary to popular belief, Merino wool not only protects from the cold, thanks to its thermoregulating capacity, but also insulates perfectly from the heat, keeping the body temperature constant and cool even in summer,” says team director and skipper Max Sirena.

While the racing gear from the last Cup remains unchanged, its design has been extended to include the training gear as well. It includes the ultralight windbreaker weighing just 60gsm (lighter than copier paper) whose wind-proofing comes from the very dense weave of the 55% merino wool.

Ainslie in more of the Henri-Lloyd kit

The team’s sailing jacket is another technical feat – wool blended into a synthetic exterior fabric and bonded to a waterproof membrane.

Luna Rossa’s tie-up with Woolmark is also part of a sustainability agenda which aims to reduce the amount of ocean-bound plastic – 35% of which is thought to emanate from synthetic clothing. “The integration of natural and biodegradable fibres as opposed to synthetic materials in the fabrics of our uniform is first and foremost a respectful choice towards the environment,” explains Sirena.

Meanwhile, France’s K-Way is supporting the Orient Express Racing Team with technical clothing that is mirrored in a lifestyle range. The brand is famous for its pack-away waterproof nylon waterproofs, and its highly recognisable Claude jacket now has an America’s Cup team version.

Musto is partnered with the British Sailing Team – 470 sailors James Taylor and Hannah Bristow here training in Palma.

Olympic ambitions

Temperature management is central to the gear Musto has developed for the Team GBR sailors who’ll be competing at the Olympic regatta in Marseille in July and August.

The new Musto Flexlite Cooling range uses specially impregnated fabric to aid heat transfer. A nylon yarn treated with xylitol – the same chemical that makes chewing gum feel cold – keeps athletes between 1° and 3° cooler.

Musto designer Lucy Davis explains the fabric has three cooling elements: “The xylitol has been added as well as a mineral cooling finish to increase the cooling effect. The nylon yarn has a natural cooling effect as well.”

The British team’s men’s and women’s long john style Flexlite wetsuits (£150) feature breathable mesh ventilation panels on the back, underarm and back of knee, as well as thin neoprene pads on the knees and seat with abrasion resistant fabric.

The mixed pairing of Anna Burnett and John Gimson on the foiling Nacra has special kit for their high impact class. “Anna and John are wearing the Musto Flexlite Cooling range with an additional protective element that has been designed exclusively for them for the Olympics this year,” says Davis. “It’s a product development specifically for foiling boats, the details of which we’ll be sharing after the Games.”

Musto Flexlite wetsuit

The wetsuits are designed to be worn in conjunction with a four-way stretch Flexlite Cooling top (long-sleeved T-shirt, £50) for UPF 50 sun protection.

“We have also used warp knit jersey for these styles,” says Davis. “Warp knit offers optimal stretch and recovery as it has a higher modulus than a standard single jersey (used for a T-shirt, say), which means you need more weight to achieve the same amount of stretch. This helps prevent bagginess when the garments get wet.

“Lastly the garments are body mapped with mesh panels (that are still UPF 50 by construction) in the areas where you sweat most (under arms and upper back) to further aid the evaporative cooling effect.”
Working with the US Sailing Team,

Gill has upgraded its original Zen Therm wetsuit line to a second-generation product based on neoprene made from limestone, not oil. Although the resulting neoprene is no less polluting, it can actually perform better, with more closed-cell bubbles in its structure.

The Gill Zen Therm 2.00 range also relies on bodymapping for a better fit with 50% fewer seams. “Fewer seams mean improved aerodynamics, fewer points of weakness and eliminates points of discomfort and limited stretch,” says Gill product development director Matt Clark. “Not only have we reduced seams, but we’ve also swept them towards the back of the suit to improve aerodynamics and reduce rubbing caused by PFDs and harnesses.”

The US Sailing team uses Gill Zen Therm 2.00 gear. Photo: Allison Chenard/US Sailing

The whole suit is now made from super-stretch neoprene, not just key areas around joints, while the fabrics that sandwich the rubber are all from recycled sources. Maggie Shea, one half of the Team USA 49er FX crew, says: “Our wetsuits have a tendency to wear out on the legs as the non-skid on our deck is a very abrasive, tough surface. So, I love the extra padding and the really super tough fabric that’s on the knees and shins. We’ve also had some injuries in the past just from impacting on the side of the boat and those are really hard surfaces. So, the additional padding in that area is a really important safety feature for me.”

Her 49erFX team mate Steph Roble also likes a new feature that allows water to drain quickly and easily from the leg of the wetsuit. “In really extreme conditions we can get water up the wetsuit and then if there aren’t proper drainage holes, we can get bubbles,” she adds.

Combining sustainable materials and body temperature regulation were dual goals behind Australian brand Zhik’s new range of gear for the Australian Olympic sailors.

The line is centred around new wetsuits that have swapped out neoprene in favour of Yulex – a material developed from natural rubber and championed in sportswear by outdoor brand Patagonia. It is 80% less carbon intensive than synthetic neoprene and fully plant-based.

Zhik has infused the fabric lining of the wetsuits with graphene, which it claims can return up to 20% more body heat. Graphene is harder than diamond, just an atom thick, and able to help thermoregulation by efficiently conducting heat. The advantage is that it keeps wearers warmer for longer, transferring heat during low-intensity activity and aiding the drying process.

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Could Paris 2024 be one of the best Olympic sailing regattas yet? Hosted by a country truly passionate about sailing, combined with – hopefully – stunning Mediterranean weather, and sailing fans should be in for a treat when the Olympuc sailing takes place from 28th July – 8th August 2024.

The 2024 Olympic sailing regatta will be held at Marseilles on the Mediterranean coast.

Marseille’s coastline, flanked by the Calanques cliffs to the south and the Frioul islands to the west, can create challenging conditions. Everything from stifling hot and light wind days to full-on Mistral conditions is possible.

France has fielded a strong home team, with the Netherlands also hotly tipped for medals in several classes. But can Britain retain its position as the top sailing nation? Five GBR sailors have already competed in at least one Games, while nine are making their Olympic debut. A bold call perhaps, but GBR has at least an outside chance of a medal in almost all 10 classes…

But there’s no such thing as a sure-thing in the Olympics and every fleet is a hotbed of talent. Together with Olympic reporter Andy Rice – who’s had a front-row seat at many of the big class events – we’ve picked our tips for who to watch.

The 10 Olympic Sailing events that will take place in Paris 2024 will be:

• Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
• Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
• Men’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
• Women’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
• Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
• Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
• Men’s Skiff – 49er
• Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
• Mixed Dinghy – 470 – NEW for 2024
• Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

ILCA 6: Marit Bouwmeester will be bidding for a fourth medal. Photo: Sander van der Borch/World Sailing

ILCA 6 & ILCA 7

The men’s Olympic sailing single-hander class ILCA 7 looks set to be one of the most nail-biting showdowns between Matt Wearn (AUS) and Micky Beckett (GBR).

Wearn won Gold in Tokyo and back-to-back ILCA World Championship titles. But he’s been pushed hard through this Olympic cycle by Beckett, who is going to his first Games after winning silver at the Test Event at the same venue last summer, and back to back Trofeo Princesa Sofia regattas.

Behind these two the field is wide open, though French contender Jean-Baptiste Bernaz could challenge for a medal on his home waters.

The women’s single-handed ILCA 6 fleet is packed with serious experience. Marit Bouwmeester (NED) will be bidding to overtake Hannah Mills as the most decorated female Olympian of all time, having won a gold, silver and bronze medal at three previous Games.

Bouwmeester also won last year’s Test Event, securing 1st even before the medal race. Tough opposition comes from Anne Marie Rindom (DEN) who won the World Championships this year and took gold at the last Games. Emma Plasschaert (BEL) is another strong medal contender and a double world champion.

British entry Hannah Snellgrove might not be expected to rival those right at the front of the fleet, but she’s had an unconventional journey to the Games. Snellgrove combined training in the British Team with studying for a Cambridge University degree, and at one stage busked with her folk band (band name: Bimbling) to help fund her campaign. She was selected for the Olympics aged 33, after finishing 11th at the Worlds.

The skiff class is a huge physical test. Photo: Sander van der Borch/World Sailing

49er & 49erFX

The men’s double-handed skiff is expected to be a close, three-way duel. The Dutch pairing of Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken have an edge as favourites, having won three back-to-back Worlds and last year’s Test Event. But they’re likely to be pushed hard by Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin (FRA), current World Champions who’ll be looking for a home win, and Diego Botin and Florian Trittel (ESP).

The British pairing of James Peters and Flynn Sterritt have shown they can challenge at the front of the fleet on their best days, but it’ll be a battle for consistency against the top teams.

Dutch skiff dominance continues in the women’s double-hander, with Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz top-ranked as winners of the Test event and World Champions. Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) will be giving everything they’ve got to try and secure a third gold after winning in Rio and Tokyo. Swedish pairing Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler are also likely to be in the mix for medals.

Britain’s Freya Black and Saskia Tidey will be headed straight from the Olympics to Barcelona, as members of the Athena women’s and youth British America’s Cup team. They qualified for the Games with a great 5th at the 2023 Worlds, but it’ll be a step up to get onto the medal podium.

Photo: Vincent Curutchet/World Sailing

470

The oldest Olympic sailing class has had a big shake-up for 2024, with the move to a mixed team format. There isn’t any consensus on whether it’s better to have the male or female crew on the tiller or the trapeze, with the top 10 teams split evenly in their approach.

What has changed is which countries are dominant, with Australia and Great Britain no longer clear ahead. The GBR duo of Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube can definitely get there, as a silver at this year’s Worlds demonstrated, but they’ve had less time together than some other teams.

World Champions Jordi Xammar and/ Nora Brugman (ESP) are favourites, with Camille Lecointre and Jeremie Mion (FRA) tipped for silver ahead of Japan.

Photo: Sander van der Borch/World Sailing

Nacra 17

The mixed multihull was already the fastest dinghy at the Games, but since Tokyo the foiling cat class has gone through a major development for even more speed.

“They’ve gone from foiling downwind to putting rudder elevators on for this Olympic cycle, which now allows them to foil upwind as well in anything more than 10-11 knots of wind,” explains Andy Rice. That hasn’t had the effect of shaking up the leaderboard though, with the Tokyo medallists expected to follow similar form in Paris.

Italians remain favourites after back to back World Championships wins for Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, but Brits John Gimson and Anna Burnet are hotly tipped for another silver. Germany could also take bronze again, although other nations like Argentina, New Zealand, Sweden and The Netherlands have serious podium intentions.

Photo: Mark Lloyd/World Sailing

iQFOil

Another change for this Games is the introduction of a new foiling windsurfing class for both men and women in the iQFOil. This is the class that’s hardest to establish consistency in, but Nicoló Renna (ITA) is a solid performer and the current world champion. The two previous world title holders for 2022 and 2023 respectively, Sebastien Koerdel (GER) and Luuc van Opzeeland (NED), are other serious podium prospects. GBR’s Sam Sills has an outside chance for a medal too.

In the women’s fleet Britain’s Emma Wilson is expected to podium after a consistent season which saw her take silver or bronze at all the major class events – iQFOiL medal races see just three sailors fight it out for gold. Wilson also took a bronze Olympic medal at Tokyo 2020 in the non-foiling RS:X class.

Israel has been a force to be reckoned with in the women’s iQFOil class with several top performers, and world champion Sharon Kantor will be going to the Games.

Photo: Mark Lloyd/World Sailing

Formula Kite

The final two places for sailing athletes at Paris go to men’s and women’s kitefoiling racers. Unlike the iQFoil windsurfers, which really need a minimum of 9 knots to race, Formula Kite racers can compete in wind speeds from 5 knots up to 30, so should be able to handle any conditions at Marseilles.

GBR’s Emma Aldridge is expected to be at the front of the fleet, though is one of the smaller athletes in the class. Lauriane Nolot came out top of a fierce selection fight for France’s Kite slot, and is likely gold medal favourite.

Six-time world champion Daniela Moroz (USA) is another contender and would have been a clear favourite up until two years ago since when the European powerhouses have closed the gap on the kiteboarding pioneer from California.

Max Maeder (SGP) is the runaway favourite for the men’s gold. Aged just 17, he wins most major events he enters. Axel Mazella (FRA) is a consistent performer who should bring home another medal for the hosts, while the more mercurial Toni Vodisek (SLO) can perform at the very top on his day. GBR’s Connor Bainbridge is also capable of a top performance, but with a late qualification for Paris – along with a number of injuries – hasn’t had an ideal preparation for his first Games.

Head over to our Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing page for more on the Olympic Sailing, Olympic sailing form guide, and Olympic sailing boats explainer.

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The post Who looks set to win the Olympic Sailing medals in Paris 2024? appeared first on Yachting World.

Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the first Olympiad in 1896 and has changed significantly over the years since. But whilst the sport of sailing at the Olympic Games has always undergone changes, arguably Paris 2024 will see one of, if not the, biggest changes to the event format in the recent history of the Games.

Over recent Olympiads there has been an ongoing transition away from some of the more ‘traditional’ Olympic sailing classes towards more modern, higher performance classes and also more accessible classes in terms of pure equipment cost. Plus a drive for greater gender equity in Olympic medals generally has also had an effect.

As such, of the 10 Olympic Sailing events in Paris 2024, 50% are new to the Olympic Games. And for four of these events, the newly introduced Formula Kite for men and women, and the foiling windsurfer for men and women, there will be new formats that may well be unfamiliar to anyone who has watched Olympic sailing previously.

What are the Olympic Sailing events in Paris 2024?

The 10 events that will take place in Paris 2024 will be:

• Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
• Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
• Men’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
• Women’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
• Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
• Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
• Men’s Skiff – 49er
• Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
• Mixed Dinghy – 470 – NEW for 2024
• Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Head over to our Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing page for more on the Olympic classes.

ILCA 7 sailing. Photo: Sailing energy / World Sailing

What is the Olympic sailing format?

For most of the sailing events at the Paris Olympics, medals will be awarded under a tried and tested format and will be familiar to sailors and avid Olympic watchers the world over.

The ILCA 7 (previously known as the Laser), ILCA 6 (previously Laser Radial), 49er, 49erFX, 470, and Nacra 17 will all compete in a fleet racing format, meaning all competitors and crews take to the course at the same time in a straight race to the finish.

After the opening series races (10 races for the ILCAs and 470, 12 races for the Nacra, 49er and 49er FX), the ten boats ranked highest compete in a medal race on the final day of racing.

Points are awarded based on how well a boat finishes in each race. First place receives one point, second receives two points, and so on, while the points from the worst race performance for each crew are discarded.

Olympic 49er racing. Photo: Sailing energy / World Sailing

The remaining points are then added together and used to determine the rankings. So the lower the total score, the better the ranking.

The top 10 boats compete in a medal race in which the points for each placement are doubled.

The boat with the lowest total score (including the opening series) will be crowned Olympic champion.

Men’s Formula Kite racing

Formula Kite format

The format for the Formula Kite fleets is initially almost exactly the same as for the traditional classes, with an opening qualification series running for the majority of the week with points being awarded on the same basis (one point for first place, two points for second etc.)

The key difference in Formula Kite racing is the length of the races. Kite foiling is fast and furious and races last around 10 minutes – as compared to 35-50 minutes for traditional classes.

Where the Formula Kite format is very different from the traditional fleets is in the Medal Race day format.

For the Medal Race day, the top 10 competitors go through to a Semi-Final and Final format. The top two competitors go straight through to the Final while the two Semi-Finals are made up of four competitors each in alternating rankings.

Each Semi-Final group races until a competitor has won three races and the first competitor to do so in each Semi-Final goes through to the Final.

However, the sailors who qualified in third and fourth start the Semi-Finals with two race wins already on the board. And the sailors in fifth and sixth start with one race win.

For the Finals, the format is once again first to three race wins, with the sailors who qualified for the Final in first and second starting the final with two and one race wins respectively.

Women’s iQFOiL racing. Photo: Sander van der Borch/World Sailing

iQFOiL windsurfing format

For anyone used to the more normal Olympic Sailing formats, the racing in the iQFOiL windsurfer does take a bit of getting used to and will look different depending on the weather.

The foiling windsurfers have three types of racing, which will vary during the week, largely depending on weather conditions.

The first type of racing is the Sprint Slalom, where racing takes place on a fully downwind course, reaching back and forth until the finish. This is typically used if the wind is light, around 10 knots or less. The target race time here is around 5 minutes.

If the wind is over 10 knots then a more traditional fleet race format will be used, essentially the same as the more traditional sailing classes, with the windsurfers sailing an upwind and downwind course. The target race time for fleet racing is around 15-20 minutes.

Men’s iQFOiL racing. Photo: Vincent Curutchet/World Sailing

The third type of racing is the Marathon course. The shape of this course depends on the venue and the wind direction, but the aim is for the race to last at least 1-1.5 hours. For the Paris 2024 Olympics this Marathon is currently scheduled to take place on the penultimate day of racing, Thursday 1 August.

As with all other classes, the final day of racing is reserved for the Medal Race competition, with the top 10 competitors going through to this final day of racing.

However, where the iQFOil differs from the rest, once you have made it through to this final day, scores are wiped clean for the top ten, so everyone starts the final day evenly.

Racing then takes place in either Sprint Slalom or an upwind / downwind fleet racing course (again depending on weather conditions).

The fleet racing course is slightly different in layout and much shorter (sub-10 minutes per race) than in the previous week, and the entirety of the Medal Race day is a knock out format, making it a much more exciting, if unpredictable, competition.

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Tomorrow sees the release of Chasing Tokyo, a unique behind the scenes documentary filmed inside the British Olympic sailing squad on the road to the Tokyo Games.

It’s an emotional watch. Filmed over a full year, it follows the athletes as they readied themselves for the strangest Olympic Games in history – and the parents and partners who were left behind when the sailors headed out to Tokyo.

The film crews had unprecedented access to the sailors as they navigated lockdowns, covid testing, and disrupted preparations, and the medal hopefuls candidly shared their dreams and fears. It’s an insightful view of the strange balance of tension and monotony, life-changing highs and soul-crushing lows, of life as an Olympic athlete.

British sailor Luke Patience contemplates his final Olympic Games in the documentary Chasing Tokyo Photo: RYA

The documentary gives an intriguing glimpse inside the ‘medal factory’, the machinery of the British Sailing Team which has made it consistently the most successful Olympic sailing team in the world. The legacy of London 2012, and the importance of the team’s home base in Portland – with all its quirks and characters – stands out. 

The film is also something of a love letter to British sailing, capturing the simple pleasures of an evening club race in the sunshine or a head-clearing cruise with family. It quietly celebrates the incredible diversity of the sport, as well as the unique opportunities it offers to take on its heroes – to line up against an Olympic medallist on a Saturday morning, and potentially, even to beat them.

But ultimately, it’s the sailors who are the stars – Hannah Mills, aiming to become the greatest female Olympic sailor of all time; London 2012 silver medallists Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell, each looking to go one better for an elusive gold; free spirited windsurfer Tom Squires making his Games debut. A whole documentary could have been made about Eilidh McIntyre’s journey alone, as she shares the monumental pressure she felt under joining double Olympic medallist Hannah Mills in the women’s 470. 

The whole film is beautifully shot and edited. Highly recommended for anyone missing a sailing viewing fix or who loves a sports documentary.

Chasing Tokyo is an Olympic Channel Original by Orillo Films. The 90-minute documentary is available to stream at Olympics.com on Thursday 28 July, and will later be available on the Discovery+ Channel.

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Tunisian Olympic 49er FX sailor Eya Guezguez has died in an accident whilst training, sailing in the waters off the Tunisian capital Tunis in strong winds.

Eya Guezguez, who was 17, was sailing with her twin sister and Olympic partner Sarra, when their 49er FX capsized.

It’s understood that their coach, who was alongside in a RIB, was able to free Sarra from the rigging before locating Eya. He performed CPR on Eya before she was taken to hospital, but she was pronounced dead after drowning.

Eya Guezguez, Tunisian Olympic sailor, who drowned aged 17 during a training accident in April 2022

Eya and Sarra represented Tunisia at the Tokyo 2020 Games last year aged just 16, the youngest athletes in their national team and the youngest female sailors at the Games. They finished 21st in the 49er FX fleet, which is the women’s double-handed twin-trapeze skiff class, and were aiming to compete at Paris 2024.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach paid tribute to the athlete, saying:

“I am shocked by the news of sailor Eya Guezguez’s death. She was an inspiring talent and role model for her athletes’ generation.

“Eya Guezguez’s participation at Tokyo 2020 alongside her twin sister Sarra will continue to motivate girls everywhere. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the Olympic community in Tunisia.”

The Tunisian Olympic Committee (CNOT) described her death as “a tragedy in the sports scene”.

An investigation has been launched into the incident. 

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What is the mark of a truly great sailor? Is it an Olympic gold medal, an America’s Cup win, offshore racing victories – or something else? Because Australian Tom Slingsby has all of those, but it is the sailing he does for fun, his downtime dinghy racing on his own boat, which is perhaps his most impressive.

In September 2021, Tom Slingsby won his second International Moth World Championship. In the foiling dinghy class that’s a considerable achievement. But the manner in which he did it – 13 race wins from 14 starts – and the ridiculous talent trailing behind him, was truly remarkable.

The results table reads like a who’s who of sailing, of America’s Cup crews, Olympic Gold Medallists and World Champions. Paul Goodison in 3rd, Francesco Bruni 5th, Nathan Outteridge 7th… It’s a fleet made up of his great friends, and greater rivals. But Slingsby dominated them all.

Slingsby leading the International Moth Worlds fleet all the way at Lake Garda. Photo: Martina Orsini

From Garda he travelled to France, then Spain, to compete in SailGP, where his Team Australia leads the series, winning the Cadiz event. To fill a gap in his diary caused by travel complications getting back to Australia, he joined Comanche in the RORC Middle Sea Race, where the 100ft Maxi demolished the course record and won overall.

Next was Palma for the TP52 World Championships. He carried the momentum that a slightly magical unbeaten run gives onto Phoenix, where he gave a masterclass in light winds tactics to take 1st in the first two races – ahead of another stellar fleet, many of whom have been racing 52s for decades.

In just a few weeks he delivered top flight wins inshore and offshore. Dinghy, multihull and big boat. Foiling and conventional. It was, by any standards, a very good end to an exceptional year.

Passion project

The Moth is a bit different to Slingsby’s many professional sailing gigs. “I do the Moths just out of passion for sailing. It’s really the only sailing I do that isn’t for my livelihood. I do it because I just love it. I spend all my own personal money on the boats and development. So it is really nice to be successful in that part of my sailing.

“I did the 2017 Worlds in Lake Garda, and I finished 4th. But it was the most enjoyable regatta I’d ever done in my life, and I said if ever there’s another Moth Worlds in Garda, I’d do anything to be there. So even with everything happening with Covid, when all Italy was shut down, I still packed up my boat and sent it to Europe on the off chance it might happen.”

Like many sailors, Slingsby was able to devote time to tinkering with and sailing his Moth from his home in Sydney when lockdown curtailed the professional racing circuit last year. Once events resumed, he blocked out weeks between regattas to go back to Garda.

“I just love the development side. I love always improving the boat. And I was sitting out the last America’s Cup, and so I guess I had a bit more time. I love the sailing, and I love the spirit of the class.

“The development never stops. I’ve changed designs again, for the third year in a row. I really enjoy trying different boats and trying to see how to make them fast.”

That drive to extract the fastest possible speed from every single boat is what has built Slingsby probably the most complete sailing CV of his generation. But it hasn’t been an entirely straightforward progression.

Laser Gold at Weymouth 2012. Photo: Reuters/Alamy

Knock backs

Now 37, he grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Although he sailed as a child, he didn’t pursue youth racing. Instead, tennis stole his attention, and he competed at a high level into his teens, to the cusp of turning professional.

In 2000, the Olympic Games arrived in Sydney. A 16-year-old Tom took his place on the shores of Bradleys Head in Sydney Harbour and, along with thousands of others, watched one of the most phenomenal Olympic regattas of all time. He decided, then and there, that he was going to win an Olympic gold sailing medal.

Two years later he was winning Laser Nationals and Olympic classes events, but needed a top 10 finish at the World Championship to earn his place on the Australian team. By 2004 he was working two jobs to support his campaign, training in the few hours left in between, and any Olympic dreams were hanging in the balance.

At the Worlds in Turkey he finished the penultimate day lying 22nd. The prospect of hanging up his sailing boots for university studies loomed large. Instead, Slingsby won two races back to back, jumping to 7th overall. His place on the Australian team was secured, though he didn’t make selection for Athens 2004.

In 2007 he won his first Laser World title and by 2008 was ranked No. 1 in the world. He went to Qingdao as favourite for Olympic Gold but, as he described it, “choked”. It was a hard setback.

However, it inspired Slingsby to change his approach to sailing. “I’d just been really concentrating on Lasers – as all Olympians do, they just concentrate on their own class. But Nathan Outteridge and myself were team mates in Beijing and we both came away a bit unhappy with our result. So we said, ‘Look, let’s start sailing as many types of classes as we can.’ We both bought A-class catamarans after the Games and said, let’s learn about catamarans and faster sailing.

Slingsby bought an A-Class cat to learn about foiling multihulls. Photo: Andrea Francolini

“Then we both got Moths. Nathan was coming from the 49er, a pretty fast boat background – but my background was Lasers, slow moving tactical boats. And I realised I was just learning so much more about sailing. I learned about apparent winds. I learned about the capabilities of catamarans versus monohulls, standard monohulls versus foiling boats.

“I’d sail any type of boat. If someone said: ‘I’ve got an 18ft Skiff you can use on the weekend, do you want to?’ If I was free, I said yes. I would just take any opportunity that was given and it’s really helped me.”

Slingsby and Outteridge’s post-Qingdao project had built skillsets that would take them beyond the Olympics to the future of foiling multihulls. But first, Slingsby had unfinished business in the Laser.

He won three back-to-back World titles, before taking gold at Weymouth in 2012. The following year he joined Oracle Team USA as strategist, winning the America’s Cup in 2013. He stayed with Ellison’s team for the Bermuda defence, where they lost to Emirates Team New Zealand. Slingsby then signed up to lead the Australian team in Ellison’s SailGP, winning the million-dollar final of the first series.

“I’m in a nice position now where I feel like I can jump on any type of boat and know how to get it going fast and know the keys to winning in that class. It’s a really nice feeling to have, and it definitely takes a lot of work and training and dedication. But I’m just so lucky to be in the position that I’m in, and to get the opportunity to sail these types of boats and travel the world.”

Among legends

His Australia team may be currently leading the second series of SailGP, but there’s no let-up in pressure, thanks to the talent pool that makes up Slingsby’s peer group.

“It’s on another level to anything I’ve ever experienced. We had all these legends of the sport who were considered the best in the world: Ben Ainslie in the Finns, I guess, me in the Lasers, Nathan Outteridge in the 49ers, Peter Burling in the 49ers and the America’s Cup. But they,” he corrects himself, modest about his own talent, “we never really got a chance to get on the same type of boat. Now we all get to jump on the same race track in equal boats, and we really get to see who the best sailor is.

WInning the America’s Cup with Oracle in 2013. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

“On the race track, the competitiveness is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. When you’re on the start line and you’ve got Jimmy Spithill above you and Ben Ainslie below you, two of the most aggressive sailors in history, you’re just the meat in the sandwich sometimes! It’s pretty daunting.”

Was it hard to watch many of them racing each other in Auckland? “It was tough sitting out the last Cup,” he concedes. “I did get some offers, but they just didn’t work for me at that time. It wasn’t hard for the first three years, but then when all the boats lined up in Auckland on the same race track, I was pretty jealous.”

With the latest America’s Cup Protocol specifying a 100% nationality rule, opportunities for sailors like Slingsby will continue to be limited (although he is a US passport holder due to his American mother, so the Cup door may not be entirely closed). “If they’ve only got four entries in the America’s Cup, that means if you’re not part of one of those four countries, you can’t compete. And I just think that’s not fair,” he says.

Not always easy – AUS has had 1st and last places in the uber-competitive SailGP fleet. Photo: PA Images/Alamy

“If you’re from anywhere in the world – Australia, Brazil, Uruguay, anywhere – and you’re an unbelievable sailor, you should have the opportunity to compete in the America’s Cup. If you’re from France or Austria and you’re one of the top sailors in the world you should get that chance.”

SailGP, by contrast, has relaxed its nationality rules slightly. “I do like that there is some flexibility in the rule. It means that Francesco Bruni, who’s Italian but there’s no Italian team, can still compete. The best sailors in the world will actually be on the racetrack, I think that’s the way to do it.

“But New Zealand kicked our arse in the 2017 Cup and took away all my rights to say anything, so it’s their call!

“I do miss working with a team at that scale and trying to design and build the quickest boat you can, and then learn how to sail it as fast as you can. It’s a very enjoyable part of our sport. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be back there. Maybe not. But I’m very fortunate to be in a position where I have amazing options.”

What else is on Slingsby’s wish-list? “I want to create a pathway and a programme in Australia to develop future champions. I’d love to have some sort of foundation or a team that really funnels people in and nurtures the next generation.

“It’s something I’m passionate about. I would love in the future to be helping the next generation of sailors and showing them how to get to the top and how to achieve their goals.” The first lesson is likely to be: sail everything.

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The ‘Back the Bid’ #SailtoLA campaign, launched today, hopes to see sailing return to the Paralympic Games.

Sailing was first introduced to the Paralympics in 1996 as a demonstration sport, growing to two full events at the Sydney Paralympics four years later.

A one-person keelboat and a three-person keelboat event were selected, using the 2.4mR and the Sonar for Sydney 2000.

Since then a two-person keelboat event was added for the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 – the purpose designed Skud 18

Sailing continued to be represented in the Paralympics until Rio in 2016, but was not competed for at the Tokyo Games and a previous bid to have it reinstalled for Paris 2024 was unsuccessful.

The reason given by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for removing sailing from its Paralympics sports line up was a lack of global reach, with too few countries taking part in the sport at this level.

International Federation World Sailing’s bid to have the sport reinstated will focus on diversity, inclusion, affordability, development, and increasing the number of open and Para sailing events around the world.

David Graham, CEO of World Sailing has said: “Over the past five years, the number of nations with Para sailors participating in international Para sailing competitions has increased by 30%. Our international Para sailing athletes are some of the most accomplished sailors in the world.”

Rory McKinna backs Paralympic bid

The federation hopes to increase the number of participating countries to 45 and improve the gender balance of the participants. Their current goal is to ensure 30% of the athletes are women but ultimately hope to achieve parity across the sport.

The launch of ‘Back the Bid’ #SailtoLA campaign is supported by renowned global sailors and leading figures in the sport.

Hannah Stodel, who represented Great Britain at four Paralympics and won three World Championships in the Sonar class, commented: “For me, sailing deserves to be back in the Paralympics – it’s truly an inclusive sport that allows anyone to leave their disability on the dock and experience freedom. There is no greater privilege than representing your country at the Paralympic Games, and I will keep fighting to see those opportunities back for the young sailors coming up through the ranks.”

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The Medal Race should have been straightforward for Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre. Having sailed a really solid qualifying series in the 470 Women’s event, the British duo carried a 14-point advantage into the Medal Race ahead of their closest rivals, the French.

Five years earlier Hannah Mills, who was then sailing with Saskia Clark, won the regatta with a race to spare. Rules say you still have to go around the race course and finish. Pretty straightforward, you’d think, but Mills and Clark were paranoid about any possible thing that might go wrong – gear failure, falling foul of another boat, being capsized on, and so on.

Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark celebrating their gold in Rio 2016. Sailing Energy / World Sailing

Of course Mills and Clark won that gold medal in Rio, and here in a similar position was Hannah Mills again – this time with Games first-timer Eilidh McIntyre. There was the same concern about sailing a clean race, whilst also having to keep an eye on the French.

Down the final run before the last turning mark to the finish, GBR was in second place with the French behind them. All going to plan. But it was tight at the mark and the Brits took a wide berth at the mark, not wanting to do anything that could put the gold at risk.

In being so conservative the British dropped from second to fifth, just behind the Polish who had just passed them at the mark, still just ahead of the French. The gold was assured, while the last-mark reshuffle moved the silver from France to Poland.

Mills and McIntyre en-route to gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photo: Sailing Energy / World Sailing

To France, the reshuffle looked suspicious. They protested the British, alleging team racing tactics with the Polish. Within a few seconds of finishing, relief and elation at winning the gold quickly turned to horror and fear that the medal might be snatched away from the British in the most controversial of circumstances. Social media lit up with light-hearted memes implying the Brits and Polish were very cosy together, as well as some nastier stuff on Twitter.

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Mills and McIntyre never got their moment being raised aloft by their team mates in their victorious 470. “It was good that Hannah kept it together,” said McIntyre at the press conference an hour later, “because I basically fell apart and I think I was in a shock, to be honest.”

A hearing was quickly held, the French protest was dismissed, and the gold was confirmed for Great Britain. Forty-five minutes later than they would have liked, but anyway. No hard feelings either, McIntyre added. “We had a moment with these girls and hugged it out. They’re such fantastic competitors. We’ve had so many tussles with them. So to stand on the podium with them, that is a huge privilege for us.”

After growing up with a gold medal hanging on the wall in the family home, Eilidh has matched her dad’s achievement, the gold medal that Mike McIntyre won in the Star keelboat back in 1988, six years before his daughter was born.

Celebrations on the water for Mills and MacIntyre. Sailing Energy / World Sailing

There were tears on the podium as they received their gold medals, tears of relief more than outright joy. Even an hour later when I was interviewing Hannah Mills, she hadn’t really started to celebrate. “We were just so focussed on executing our best race today. That was probably my last 470 race. So I was quite emotional as well and just trying to pull those thoughts away and just focus on getting around the course to do what we needed to do to get the gold.”

When I worked with Mills a couple of years earlier when we shared live commentary duties at Weymouth for the 49er and Nacra European Championships, she admitted she had reached an age where she was struggling to summon up the competitive spirit to really race and fight at the highest level.

It didn’t come naturally to her anymore. I asked her about this again, because clearly Mills had got her competitive mojo back together for Tokyo. “I think when you get older, your priorities change a little bit. And there’s other things in life beyond just your skill and yeah, that has its own challenges.

“And it can sometimes be hard to find that grit, determination and everything that’s required to to win a gold medal. But, you know, this last year, with Covid and everything that’s gone on, the privilege we have felt as athletes to train and carry on almost as normal, that means so much. And of course the Olympic Games is like nothing else when it comes to bringing out that competitive edge.”

With the 470 event going from separate Men and Women’s fleets into a single Mixed 470 for the next Olympic Regatta in Marseille three years from now, this was the last time Mills and McIntyre would race together at Olympic level.

Now confirmed as the greatest ever female Olympic sailor, with two golds and a silver, it was highly unlikely Mills would go around again. But McIntyre is keen to find a male helm and aim for that second gold.

As for Mills, she’ll no doubt put more time and effort into promoting her athlete-driven campaign to reduce single-use plastic, the Big Plastic Pledge.

She was grateful to be given the opportunity to talk about the problem at the Olympic press conference. “There are lots of tidelines out there which is where all the rubbish and the seaweed and everything congregates. It’s pretty heartbreaking to see. But it’s everywhere. It’s not just Japan. It’s everywhere.

“This is not one country’s problem. It’s a global problem. And so, yes, we have to do a lot more than we are doing to try and stop this, because the oceans are our breathing source, they’re what give us life. So we must protect them at all costs.”

As one campaign concludes in glory, so the next campaign begins.

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Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) have won gold in the 470 Women. Along with an Olympic Sailing silver from London 2012 and gold from Rio 2016, gold at Tokyo 2020 makes Hannah Mills the most successful female Olympic sailor of all time. Eilidh McIntyre’s gold matches the achievement of her father Mike McIntyre who won Star keelboat gold for Great Britain in 1988.

Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Jolanta Ogar (POL) took silver while Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz (FRA) secured the bronze – a repeat of the bronze Lecointre took in Rio in 2016.

The race was not without its controversy, however, as the Brits, who had looked strong all race lost a handful of places down the final leg. One of the boats to get past the British pairing was the Polish team of Skrzypulec and Ogar, which moved them into the silver medal position leapfrogging the French who followed Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre over the finish line.

The final mark rounding, which saw the Brits slip back several positions. Photo: Sailing Energy / World Sailing

Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre went into the day with a significant lead of 14 points, meaning the French team of Lecointre and Retornaz could only beat them if they won and the Brits were a long way back. The fight between Poland and France was much closer, with the Poles only needing to finish one position ahead of the French to steal silver.

It was, then, something of a surprise to see the French team taking the fight to the British sailors at the start, the pair locked closely together near the committee boat end of the startline as Lecointre and Retornaz tried to get a controlling position just below the Brits.

The jostling for position saw all three lead teams failing to get the best start all slightly bow-back from the rest of the fleet. Skrzypulec and Ogar and the French team tacked onto port tack as both boats made an early break to the right.

Great Britain tacked over towards the other two boats and were ahead. Mills and McIntyre at times put a close cover on Lecointre and Retornaz to stop the French breaking through to the front of the fleet. Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI) and Luise Wanser Anastasiya Winkel (GER) were going fast and took the early lead.

Around the first mark Switzerland were ahead, with Great Britain in second and France back in sixth, one place ahead of Poland.

Halfway up the final leg, Poland moved up to fourth and were two places in front of France, equal on points. As it stood, the Polish team had displaced the French for silver.

Around the final windward mark, the Swiss held the lead while Great Britain were in second.

Fahrni and Siegenthaler won the Medal Race, taking fourth overall. Meanwhile Great Britain had been overtaken on the final run by Germany. In their position on the right of the course – looking downwind – the Brits would be coming into the final leeward mark on port without rights, while Israel and Poland were on starboard and both looked to have got the inside overlap at the mark.

Clearly wary of picking up any infringement in the closing stages of the race, the Brits luffed to take the transom of both boats, following them round the final mark to sail across the finish line in fifth.

Crucially, with Poland in fourth and the French in sixth the silver went to Poland, with Lecointre and Retornaz slipping back into silver.

However, immediately after the race the jury were informed that the French team were protesting Great Britain.

Mills and coach Joe Glanfield speak to the Jury on the water as they are informed of the French team’s protest. Photo: Sailing Energy / World Sailing

In what might politely be termed an optimistic protest, it appears the French team claimed the Brits and Polish had conspired to team race the French into bronze – though the full details of the exact nature of the protest are not available as we publish this, we will update this story when full details are available.

Fortunately for Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre, their celebrations at having secured the gold medal were not delayed for long. The protest was heard ashore and the case quickly dismissed. It had been a brief delay to the medal celebrations, but at last Great Britain could celebrate the gold.

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