49er and 49er FX will be first sailing medal winners at Paris 2024 Olympics

Competitors in the 49er and 49er FX Skiff events will be the first sailing medal winners at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The two skiff events, together with the windsurfer iQFoil events will open the sailing event racing on Sunday 28 July at the Marseille Olympic sailing centre.

Racing will continue over four days with the top ten 49er and 49erFX competitors taking part in their Medal races on Thursday 1 August, the winsurfers medal day follows on Friday 2 August.

49er Euros GBR 2nd Peters and Sterritt — *49er Peters and Sterritt*

Representing Team GB in the men’s 49er event are James Peters and Fynn Sterritt.

Peters and Sterritt narrowly missed out to Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell for the Tokyo Games – who went on to win Britain’s first 49er gold in a dramatic finish.

After taking a break they have bounced back, recovering from a poor Worlds result to claim the 2024 European Title.

That win included beating the triple world champions Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken of Holland and reigning world champions Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin of France, who are both competing in Marseille. And watch out for the left-field pair Hernan Umpierre and Fernando Diz of Uruguay.

If Peters and Sterritt can carry that victory momentum into Marseille they could be standing on the podium in just a weeks time, but this is the Olympics, the ultimate maker and breaker of dreams.

Olympic Magic Regatta 49erFX Black and Tidy — *49erFX Black and Tidy*

In the women’s 49erFX event Britain’s Freya Black and Saskia Tidey also did well at the recent Europeans with a bronze medal finish, so they too know that the podium is within their reach.

Expect to see Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze powered up as they go for a third Olympic gold, plus world champions Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz of Holland, and Swedish pairing Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler.

And not forgetting the power of home venue advantage for Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon, and can New Zealand’s Molly Meech and Jo Aleh really put it together again for another Olympic podium?