Freya Black and Saskia Tidey, representing Great Britain in the 49erFX class at the Paris 2024 Olympics, faced challenging conditions on the first day of the sailing regatta in Marseille. Despite the tricky light winds, the duo managed to remain in contention, though not quite where they hoped to be.
Black, making her Olympic debut, tackled the nerves associated with this prestigious event with a determined spirit. She commented, "There were definitely a lot of nerves. It was great seeing friends and family on the shoreline giving us a boost of energy. The nerves were there, but we were excited to get going."
The duo opened the regatta with a ninth-place finish in their first race, followed by a 16th-place finish in the second. Their third race brought an eighth-place result, leaving them in 10th place overall, with the Dutch favourites Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz currently leading the pack.
Black acknowledged the difficult conditions, saying, "It was a really light day out there. It was quite difficult to know what was going on in the first two races. We just wanted to try and put a solid scoreline together."
She added, "The regatta has begun, and we're ready to fight! It's good to get the first day out of the way. We're still in the fight, and we haven't lost it, which is exactly what we needed for day one."
Tidey, competing in her third Olympic Games, having represented Ireland in Rio 2016 and switching to Team GB for Tokyo, brings valuable experience to the team. She and Black secured their spot at Paris 2024 with a fifth-place finish at last year's World Championships.
While the first day's results might not have been ideal, Tidey remains confident, "Day one, we were just trying to get stuck into it. I think everyone's a bit nervous and excited at the same time. It was really hard racing, really light so we just wanted a solid scoreline. Yes, there are a few more points than what we wanted, but we're still in the fight and we're looking forward to the rest of the week."
Tidey highlighted their versatility as a team, saying, "We're a pretty all-round team. We don't prefer one condition to another, so today was probably about getting off the start line and trying to smuggle your way through the fleet. There were plenty of opportunities to catch up."
Follow the British Sailing Team's journey at Paris 2024 on Instagram at @britishsailing and on www.britishsailingteam.com.