British sailors ready for ‘must do’ first Olympic Test
Written by RYA | 02 August 2014
Aquece Rio International Regatta marks the first official Test Event for the 2016 hosts
This August marks not only two years to go until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but also sees the first official Test Event for any Olympic sport with sailing’s Aquece Rio International Regatta (3-9 August).
A squad of 30 British sailors – the maximum of two entries in each Olympic class – will take to the waters of Guanabara Bay as part of the 324 sailor, 34 nation entry, as the host’s preparation and focus towards the Rio Games step up a gear in the wake of the FIFA World Cup.
The Aquece Rio International Regatta is set to be the largest Olympic classes sailing competition ever held in Brazil.
The organisers will use the event to trial some of the workforce, equipment, race areas and systems ahead of the Olympic regatta in 2016, while the British Sailing Team, along with their international rivals, will see the event as a vital opportunity to learn about the venue and weather conditions, and what the key ingredients will be towards medal success on Brazilian waters.
Nick Dempsey, double Olympic medallist and reigning RS:X windsurfing World Champion says the event is a vital one for those sailors with medal-winning ambitions in two years’ time.
“The Test Event’s a massive deal. It’s going to be the first proper opportunity we’ll get to race on the Olympic waters against our Olympic competition, organised by the Olympic authority and by the sailing authority. So for us it’s a massive test. It’s a great opportunity two years out to actually really test yourself and find out what’s important [at the Olympic venue].
“It’s a must for anyone who’s interested in winning an Olympic gold medal or any medal.”
For 49erFX sailor Frances Peters, this is her third visit to the Olympic host city and she says every experience of sailing there will only help build an understanding of the notoriously difficult conditions.
“We have been to Rio last winter, which was great, and we really enjoyed it. It’s a great venue - really different, and really tricky racing, so the opportunity to go and do more racing and try and get a little bit of a handle on what goes on with the tide and the wind around Sugarloaf Mountain and all the big obstacles on the shore is perfect for us.
For Nacra 17 world silver medallist Hannah Diamond, 23, this is her first trip to the Olympic host venue and, as a first-time Olympic campaigner, it’s also her first time as part of a selected British team for a pre-Olympic event.
“Ben [Saxton] and I had never been to Rio before, so it’s be a great opportunity for us to get to know the waters, have a bit of a look around, see what we’re likely to expect for the Test Event 2015 and ultimately for the Olympic Games in 2016,”s he explained.
“It will be a great opportunity to get to know the venue a little bit, and also experience more of an Olympic environment. That’s something that’s a bit different for both of us. We’re both relatively young in the team, so it would be really great for us to have that opportunity to have an experience of that environment, see what’s different and what we can do out there.”
Racing at the Aquece Rio International Regatta gets underway on Sunday 3 August, with the RS:X Men’s and Women’s Windsurfers and the Finn sailors kicking off proceedings. All remaining classes will start racing on Monday 4 August.
Medal racing will take place on Thursday 7 August (RS:X Men, RS:X Women), Friday 8 August (Finn, 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17) and Saturday 9 August (470 Men, 470 Women, Laser, Laser Radial).
Stay with us for all the news from inside the British camp throughout the Rio International Regatta at www.britishsailingteam.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @BritishSailing.
British Sailing Team for the 2014 Rio Olympic Test Event:
Finn
Giles Scott
Ed Wright
RS:X Men
Nick Dempsey
Tom Squires
RS:X Women
Bryony Shaw
Izzy Hamilton
470 Men
Luke Patience-Elliot Willis
Mike Wood-David Kohler
470 Women
Hannah Mills-Saskia Clark
Sophie Weguelin-Eilidh McIntyre
49er
Dylan Fletcher-Alain Sign
John Pink-Stuart Bithell
49erFX
Charlotte Dobson-Sophie Ainsworth
Frances Peters-Nicola Groves
Nacra 17
Ben Saxton-Hannah Diamond
Pippa Wilson-John Gimson*
(*replacements for Lucy Macgregor-Andrew Walsh following injury to Walsh)
Laser
Nick Thompson
Elliot Hanson
Laser Radial
Two sailors will be selected to race immediately prior to the event from:
Alison Young
Chloe Martin
Hannah Snellgrove