Windsurfer Emma Wilson enjoys dream start to Paris 2024
If you’re going to start your Paris 2024 campaign with a clear sign of intent, that’s the way to do it.
The sun was blazing in Marseille on the second day of Paris 2024, and so was Emma Wilson, who channelled her inner Usain Bolt and shot out of the blocks.
If only the wind was as strong as the UV… a light eight to ten knots allowed racing to get underway, but petered out as the afternoon went on.
But despite the lack of breeze there was plenty of action in the Bay of Marseille – and plenty more to come.
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After a frustrating first day ashore, Emma Wilson opened her Paris 2024 scorecard today in the most impressive way – with a race win.
Wilson wiped the floor with her competition in the first of two slalom races, the preferred light-wind race format in the new flying windsurf class.
In race 2 she came close to a perfect start, coming across the line second behind Spain’s Pilar La Madrid.
“It's just a dream… it was so good,” Wilson told journalists waiting ashore. “To win the first race of the Olympic Games… I think that's pretty cool. And then to back it up with a second, I'm super happy.”
The men’s fleet only managed one race after a false start, with Sam Sills coming home 21st. Sills started well but was overtaken by the chasing pack, then took a swim in the Mediterranean after the wind disappeared.
Not an ideal start, but it’s only one race and there are many more to come.
Ever the optimist, Sills said he’s ready to bounce back tomorrow. “There's going to be more of those races,” he said. “The thing is just to park the ones that were bad and just keep going, keep looking forward.”
49er
James Peters knew he and Fynn Sterritt had sailed well on day 1, but things just hadn’t gone their way. Today they did.
The pair started with a solid sixth and just got better, banking a fifth and a fourth to rise up through the rankings to eighth overall with six races completed - the halfway point of their series.
“I think the momentum is there for us now and we're building up through,” a defiant Peters said.
“Those guys at the top currently look very strong, but it can all go wrong very quick. We’ve got to be there putting pressure on and they'll see top teams like us starting to come through and they're going to be looking at us over their shoulders.”
49erFX
A demoralising start to the day for Freya Black and Saskia Tidey saw them disqualified from the opening race for being over the start line when the gun sounded. A 14th and a 20th see them go into day three in 20th overall.
See the full results.
What’s coming up
The forecast is looking much better for the next couple of days, and could even see 15 knots tomorrow. The same four fleets – men’s and women’s windsurfing, and men’s and women’s skiffs – will be back in action again. See the full schedule.
Find out more
Head to the RYA’s Paris 2024 hub for all the info on how to follow Team GB’s sailors at Paris 2024 including information about the team, classes, how to watch and more.