A New Breed Of Windsurfers

The RYA give us a guide to the RS:X windsurfers of the British Sailing Team due to compete at the World Championships in Denmark this summer.

- RYA

When the Sailing World Championships begin in Aarhus, Denmark, on 30 July 2018, a new breed of windsurfers will take to the waters to stake a claim for inclusion in the British Sailing Team squad that will go for Olympic glory in Tokyo 2020.

The quadrennial combined World Championships are second only to the Games in terms of Olympic class participation. Looking outside of the numbers, the Worlds effectively begin the trail to Tokyo 2020 as national qualification is at stake and the race to secure spots starts to heat up.

For the British Sailing Team the 2018 Worlds presents an opportunity for talented young windsurfers to stand up and be counted. Three-time Olympic medallist Nick Dempsey retired from competition after Rio 2016 leaving the door open for a raft of young guns to take his place, while in the women’s fleet there is a host of sailors looking to challenge returning 2008 Beijing bronze medallist Bryony Shaw.

Shaw, 35, returns to competition after giving birth to her son Jaddek in June 2017, and is so revered and respected that she will be the British Sailing Team’s flag bearer at the Sailing World Championship’s opening ceremony.

She has already proved herself a force to be reckoned with, winning numerous races in the few events she has competed in since jumping back on a board in January – however she has stiff competition within the team from two youth world champions.