Rarely does the old adage ‘third time’s the charm’ actually come to fruition in sport, but double Olympic sailing champion Sarah Ayton is convinced Wandsworth’s Bryony Shaw can upgrade her bronze medal to gold next summer.
Shaw picked up a bronze medal in the RS:X class at the Beijing Games in 2008, but could not find her best form in front of a home crowd four years later when she came home a disappointing seventh at London 2012.
But the 32-year-old has since climbed to No.1 in the world, and won gold at the European Championships in June, beating Polish pair Malgorzata Bialecka and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka to the top of the podium in Sicily.
And after Shaw was selected as part of the Team GB Olympic squad last month, Ayton – who is now competing in the Extreme Sailing Series – is confident she can achieve her dream next year.
“Bryony won her bronze medal in Beijing, and I think she really means business going into Rio,” she said.
“For the windsurfers, it’s ultimately all about being as fit as possible. Bryony’s got the talent, she’s been and done it, and it will now all be about winning.
“So she needs to ensure she gets there in peak condition, physically and mentally, and then it’s about going out there and putting a really solid, consistent set of results together and hopefully at the end being on top of the podium.”
Ayton was speaking to some of GB’s finest young sailors at Land Rover BAR headquarters in Portsmouth, where Ben Ainslie and his all-British team are bidding to bring the America’s Cup back to our waters for the first time since 1851.
She knows exactly what it takes to claim Olympic gold, having topped the podium in the Yngling class at both Beijing and Athens.
And after a slightly underwhelming campaign at London 2012, which yielded just one gold medal for Olympic hero Ainslie alongside four silvers for GB’s sailors, Ayton is confident the class of 2015 are well placed to improve on that haul.
She added: “We have some really good talent going forward to Rio. We’ve got Giles Scott, undefeated really in the last two years, won the test event and he’s on track to win gold.
“I think the depth of the team is there; it’s strong and the aim will be eight medals of any colour.
“Rio is going to be a tricky venue. You can get big swell out in the bay or choppy shifty conditions, so it’s one of those events where anything could happen.
“The attention to detail is there with Team GB, so I know that the team will be doing everything they can to provide the sailors with the best chance, and hopefully they’ll bring home a few gold medals.”
Sarah Ayton, Ambassador of the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport, mentored a range of rising star athletes as they visited the home of Land Rover BAR for a unique day’s experience and behind the scenes tour. For more information, please visit sportsaid.org.uk
Feature image of Sir Ben Ainslie, left, and Sarah Ayton, right, with a rising star
