The ILCA 7 (Laser) starts Thursday 1 August, following the 49er and Windsurfer opening events and is a top medal target for Team GB.
Ben Ainslie and Paul Goodison are previous GBR Laser Gold winners, so no pressure for Micky Beckett this time round.
Paris is expected to see the continuation of Beckett’s battle with the Tokyo winner, Aussi Matt Wearn. Beckett won silver at the 2023 Worlds and the Olympic Test Event in Marseille, but in both events the gold went to Wearn.
In April Beckett clinched ILCA 7 gold ahead of Olympic rivals Wearn, and Philipp Buhl of Germany, at French Olympic Week.
Other likely challengers will be Hermann Tomasgaard of Norway who won Bronze in Tokyo, and silver at the 2024 Worlds. Home turf star Jean Baptiste Bernez, 2022 World Champion, 6th in Tokyo and 7th at 2024 worlds is also expected to be a strong podium contender.
And Olympic silver medallist Pavlos Kontides would love to win another medal for Cyprus, he just missed out with a fourth in Tokyo 2020.
In the women ILCA6, Hannah Snellgrove has something of a baptism of fire for her first Olympics.
Snellgrove overcome injury to clinch selection with a 10th place at the 2024 Worlds in Argentina.
Favourite is bound to be 2024 world Champion Anne Marie Rindom (DEN) who took gold at the last Games. Marit Bouwmeester medalled at the last three Games – one of each type – and will be chasing a podium place again.
Double world champion Emma Plasschaert (BEL) just missed the podium in Tokyo and could medal this time. Charlotte Rose of the USA and Maud Jayet SUI are strong podium tips.
The ILCA events start Thursday 1 August.
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