Huntingdon sailor on course for Tokyo Olympics

Giles Scott in action. Picture: Lloyd Images/RYA

The test event, dubbed Ready Steady Tokyo, is a dress rehearsal for the Games with traditionally only one entry per nation in each of the 10 classes.

The regatta, held in Enoshima from August 15 to 22, is a key performance indicator in the run-up to Tokyo 2020, where Britain will aim to top the sailing medal table for the fifth time in six Games.

Topping a stellar British line-up will be Rio 2016 gold medallists Scott (Finn) and Hannah Mills (470).

Scott will head to Japan fresh from being crowned European champion for the third time.

Selection for the test event, made by the RYA’s Olympic Selection Committee, is a key step in the RYA’s ongoing process to nominate athletes to go to Tokyo 2020 as part of Team GB.

It does not guarantee that these athletes will be picked to represent Team GB at Tokyo 2020.

“All of the chosen athletes have demonstrated medal-winning potential so far this year,” said Mark Robinson, Olympic Performance Manager at the RYA.

“We are blessed with strength and depth in many classes as the results in the recent class European Championships have proven. I’m delighted with the progress of the team and am looking forward to watching them perform in the Olympic waters of Enoshima in August.”

The full team for the test event is as follows:

Finn

Giles Scott (31, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire)

470 women

Hannah Mills (31, Cardiff, Wales) and Eilidh McIntyre (24, Hayling Island, Hants)

470 men

Luke Patience (32, Rhu, Scotland) and Chris Grube (34, Chester, Cheshire)

RS:X men

Tom Squires (25, Oxford)

RS:X women

Emma Wilson (20, Christchurch, Dorset)

49er

Dylan Fletcher (31, Thames Ditton, Surrey) and Stuart Bithell (32, Rochdale, Greater Manchester)

49erFX

Charlotte Dobson (33, Rhu, Scotland) and Saskia Tidey (25, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland - below)

Nacra 17

John Gimson (36, Congleton, Cheshire) and Anna Burnet (26, Shandon, Scotland)

Ben Saxton (28, Cambridge) and Nikki Boniface (26, Polegate, East Sussex)

Laser

Elliot Hanson (25, Macclesfield, Cheshire)

Laser Radial

Ali Young (32, Wolverhampton, West Midlands - above)

Prior to the test event the British Sailing Team will see action at the World Cup Series finals in Marseille, the sailing venue for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Twenty athletes will compete in the week-long event, starting on Monday June 3 and concluding with medal racing on Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9.