TEAM GB’s youngest sailor and Dorset-local Emma Wilson starts strong at Tokyo 2020 to fit fourth overall at the end of day one and insists ““It’s been pretty physical out there but I’m not nervous anymore.”
Wilson, 22, sat fourth at the end of day one at Enoshima, Japan, in the women’s windsurfing fleet, with her scorecard reading 5-2-(6) on a day of high winds.
The event is Wilson’s first Olympic Games but she is a medal winner at the RS:X European Championships in 2018 and 2019, with bronze and silver respectively.
The Nottingham-born sailor is from Christchurch, Dorset, and represents a strong opportunity for the county local to bring a medal home from Tokyo.
Wilson is proving a chip off the old block though, as her mother, Penny, is a two-time Olympian herself.
She told British Sailing: “It’s been pretty physical out there, really physical. The first race we had quite nice wind and by the last one it was literally pump as hard as you can and just keep pumping. It was pretty tiring, but we train every day for it, so we kind of expected it.
“It’s really cool, my first Olympics and a first day like that – I couldn’t have asked for more, I’m just really enjoying it. I’m not nervous anymore. I was nervous before, but now I’m just looking forward to chilling out a bit and coming back tomorrow.
“The key to consistency out on the racecourse was to be in the moment, to enjoy it and to keep pumping hard. The plan is to recover, come back tomorrow and do the same.”
The conditions were trying after a change in weather from the training period – wind swung to offshore as effects of tropical storm.
Wilson’s next races take place tomorrow in Kamakura, before travelling to Fujisawa on Wednesday and returning back to the former on Thursday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel