Scottish stars shine in the South of France

Things are shaping up well for Paris 2024 Olympians Fynn Sterritt and Anna Burnet – as they bring home Gold and Silver from the 49er European Championships and Nacra 17 World Championships respectively.

Competing alongside the top international stars, both classes took to the water this past week at La Grande Motte – just up the coast from this summer’s Olympic Sailing venue of Marseille.

It was a consistent show from both partnerships - putting in performances that bode well for all that's still to come.

For James Peters and Fynn Sterritt, European Gold acts as a sought after marker for the pair following a disappointing World Champs earlier in the season. Now having proven themselves as serious contenders, it’s tunnel vision for Paris 2024.

Hailing from highlands – Fynn’s Olympic dream has been a while in the making, citing The Games as a goal ever since his school days.

We caught up with Fynn earlier this year to hear how valuable some support from home will be while he's out there:

“I’m fortunate that I’ll have quite a few folk come out - family and a good few friends that have followed my journey for a long time.

“It’s really nice that it’s close and that they can come and support, so that will be a real positive, a real highlight.”

While this summer marks Fynn’s first games, Shandon sailor Anna Burnet has done it once before – coming away from Tokyo with a silver.

And so, bagging a World Championship silver this week further cements Anna and helm John as ones to watch this summer - with a solid performance from start to finish. 

The focus now is on upgrading that medal by one.

Speaking to us earlier this season, Anna said:

“When I was about 10 years old I decided I wanted to go to the Olympics, so from that moment on it’s always been a dream and a goal.

“When I teamed up with John it felt like that goal could become a reality.

“At that time I thought being selected and going to an Olympic Games was unbelievable, like that was almost the dream fulfilled. But then we got the silver medal, and I think once you know what you’re capable of and what we can achieve as a team, the goals get bigger.”

To stay up to date with the latest, you can follow Anna & Fynn on social media to see what they’re up to.

You can also check out the British Sailing Team site for updates.

Inspired by their success? Use the RYA Activity Finder to locate ways to get afloat near you.

Already a sailor? Our annual RYA Youth & Junior Championships are fast approaching, and are a great chance for young sailors to gain experience at a bigger event and test themselves against the top talent across Scotland.