Team GB sailors top the charts at Tokyo 2020

A gold medal on the final day of Olympic racing sees the Team GB sailors top the Tokyo 2020 Olympic sailing medal table with three golds, one silver and one bronze. Remaining the most successful national Olympic sailing team of all time.

It has been a week of mixed conditions, but there were light winds again for the final day of racing at Enoshima, with 7-9 knots from the south/south-west for the men’s and women’s 470 medal races.

Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre took gold in the women’s 470 final race of Tokyo 2020, making Mills the most successful female Olympic sailor in history with two golds and one silver to her name.

The 33-year-old commented: “I mean it's been one of the hardest weeks of my life and I'm sure for Eilidh as well. Just every day, feeling sick, not being able to eat, just nerves building up and yeah, the emotion. But we've done it, we’ve done what we came here to do and it’s amazing.”

Commenting on becoming the most decorated and most successful Olympic female sailor, she added: “It’s absolutely mad. Growing up you obviously, like a lot of Olympians, dream of being here one day and standing on top of a podium. To do it twice, with Saskia before and Eilidh this time, I’ve had two incredible crews to sail with and I just feel really lucky. We’ve got a great team around us and the support has been phenomenal.”

McIntyre emulates her Olympic champion father, Michael McIntyre, who won gold at Seoul 1988 in the Star class.

She said: “To be honest, I can't believe this has happened. To think that I've dreamt of this through my entire life. It’s an amazing feeling and I just can't wait to have the gold around my neck.

“I’d like to thank my Dad for everything, for being my inspiration and for being at the end of the phone whenever I’ve wanted to talk. But it’s really hit my whole family, my poor Mum who’s had to live through the stress of this twice now, and my sister and brother have been my total rocks. But thank you everyone – my fiancé John and that whole group of them – have been there so much and supported me. It's always been that nothing is good enough, but gold is enough and they’ve all been on this journey.”

Luke Patience and Chris Grube finished the men’s 470 Olympic campaign in fifth overall, after coming eighth in the medal race.

Patience (35) said: “The reality is today we needed a wee slip up from our competitors out in front of us, and they didn't slip up. We can do as well as we like, but if they don't slip up we don't have enough distance in points to make up the deficit, so that’s the uncontrollable bit.

“It's a joy to push and compete at the highest level, but it’s hard when you don't get what you want out of it. It wasn't in vain though and we held the British flag at the highest level in this class.”

Chris Grube (36) added: “I mean we gave it everything we could today. We had a plan coming into it, but I think ultimately it wasn’t to be and basically we were out-sailed this week by the 3 or 4 boats out in front of us and yeah they've shone for a while now this year. We felt we had a real chance midway through the week and in the medal race we still thought we had a chance and we were still pushing hard going in to today, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Mills and McIntyre’s gold, along with a medal rush on ‘Tremendous Tuesday’ and a bronze for windsurfer, Emma Wilson earlier in the week means the Team GB sailors top the Tokyo 2020 Olympic sailing charts with medals across five classes:

• Gold: Mills & McIntyre (470), Giles Scott (Finn), Dylan Fletcher and Stu Bithell (49er)
• Silver: John Gimson and Anna Burnet (Nacra 17)
• Bronze: Emma Wilson (RS:X)
  
  

British sailors have won 64 Olympic medals – including 31 golds – since sailing made its debut at the inaugural Olympic Games in 1896, plus many more accolades from top-level international competition.

For more information about the British Sailing Team and for the full results and coverage from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, please visit: britishsailingteam.rya.org.uk.

As the sport's national governing body, the RYA is responsible for supporting Britain's brightest sailing and windsurfing talents through its world-renowned participation and performance pathways.

Success breeds success and the RYA has been able to establish one of the best sport development programmes in the world, built on the platform of our Olympic triumphs. There is a clear and direct link between Olympic success and clubs and schools at the very ‘grass roots’ of sailing. 

To find a club or training centre near you and start your boating journey, visit rya.org.uk/wheres-my-nearest.

All images credit World Sailing