“We want Great Britain to win top nation again”  “We’ve been sprinting ever since Tokyo, because of the compressed Olympic cycle since Tokyo 2020,” says RYA Performance Director, Mark Robinson. “Of course, it’s the same for every nation, but there hasn’t been the usual year for resting and resetting, which is typically what people do in the year after a Games. We just had to get straight back into it.   “It’s especially fast-paced because four of the ten events are new to the Olympic circuit. Not only that, but men’s and women’s events in foiling kiteboarding and foiling windsurfing both run brutal Medal Series formats which place enormous emphasis on performing on the final day. Sailors used to be able to put together a consistent series across the whole regatta. Now sailing joins sports such as running and swimming in deciding the medals in a sudden death final.”  Robinson acknowledges that sailing has some significant differences that might well warrant the traditional model of rewarding a consistent performance across the week. “In sailing we’re working with a dynamic field of play where all kinds of factors – variable wind, waves, weather – can all heavily influence the outcome. But we’re in the Olympics and this is the way televised sport is going, so we’ve had to make sure our athletes are mentally prepared for these final-day formats.”  While much about the equipment and setup has changed since Tokyo, the medal target agreed with UK Sport remains three to five medals of any colour. “I think it’s very achievable,” says Robinson. “We’ve got good medal prospects across quite a few of the classes but, of course, we want Great Britain to win top nation again. And for that we’ll probably need some golds, and that’s the goal we set for ourselves at every Games.”  The team within the team  It’s sometimes said that, where athletes in other sports achieve personal bests and world-record times at the Olympic Games, in sailing competitors often perform below their best. Luckily the British Sailing Team has tended to buck this trend, nearly always rising to the big occasion. Of course, it’s not really luck at all, but part of the design of the team’s structure.   A big part of Team GB’s success is the support staff working behind the scenes, helping to bring out the best of our sailors. It’s also the camaraderie between the whole team. Once a sailor has finished their Olympic regatta, they stay to support to everyone else, all the way to the closing ceremony.   Kate Eddy, Head of Performance Support, is a member of this highly experienced team. She’s a strength and conditioning coach and biomechanist approaching her eighth Olympic and Paralympic Games, and has worked at the top level in a range of men’s and women’s sports. “I’m a surfer in my spare time, so I’ve got an interest in the sea and find sailing absolutely fascinating,” says Eddy.  “Compared with most sports, where the athletes are operating in a more controlled, predictable environment, sailors have to cope with such a random and ever-changing field of play. It’s incredible how they manage such a complex scenario.”  Eddy says the focus is on ensuring the sailors are prepared physically and mentally. “The challenge of the new board sports is the high speeds and potential for crashing, so we’ve worked closely on injury prevention,” says Eddy. “But the other side is the sudden-death nature of their finals, and to make sure they are in the right mindset to perform in that critical moment.”  Find out more  The Olympic sailing events will take place from 28 July to 8 August and will be aired on Discovery+.   For more information about the Games, our team of 14 British sailors and windsurfers, the Olympic sailing classes and all the latest news, visit our Paris 2024 hub.