Hannah Mills blog: Ending 2011 on a high
By Hannah Mills on 17 JanSilver for Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing Worlds © Richard Langdon / Skandia Team GBR
It was a pretty poignant turn of year in the Mills household as we toasted the start of the 2012 Olympic year at home in Cardiff with the rest of my family.
Silver at the ISAF World Championships in Perth proved to be a pleasing end to an amazing year, especially as we went into the regatta having had some time off beforehand and feeling a bit underprepared.
It definitely showed we had been out of the boat at times as our racing communication was a bit off sometimes, but we knew it was going to be a week we had to dig deep and we did just that. To have been able to grind out the results we needed to head into the medal race still in with a shout of a medal was awesome, so we were really pleased to win silver.
Straight from Perth a few of us including Team Volvo sailor Paul Goodison headed to Bali for what was meant to be a really chilled holiday. But Bali is a really stressful place!
You expect it to be this beautiful tranquil place and a lot of it is, but the traffic can be insane and we also had to be really careful about what we ate. We had a wicked time though, surfing, well attempting to surf, lots and lots! We also spent heaps of time in the markets and did a Secret Santa for each other for Christmas Day.
We got back to Britain on December 30 and I headed straight home to Wales to give my family all the Christmas presents I’d bought them in the Bali markets!
I was exhausted so it was lovely just to spend a low key New Year’s Eve with my family at my cousin’s chilling out and watching the fireworks. Given that this time last year Saskia [Clark] and I hadn’t even started sailing together, talk inevitably turned to the Olympics and how exciting this year is going to be.
I was only at home for a few days before I left the country again, this time for St Moritz and our team cross-country ski camp. It was the first one I had ever done and I absolutely loved it, it was so much fun but really hard work.
I’ve skied quite a bit before so I got the hang of cross-country quite quickly but the skis were so slippy it was ridiculous! Especially downhill everyone was falling over, and how funny we all found it seeing each other go flying never wore off the whole time! I was actually a bit sad to come home!
After only four days at home we flew off to the States for training ahead of the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta. Sas and I are still a relatively new pair so we think it is really important that we get as much racing in as we can between now and the Games. The plan at the moment is to do Miami, the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, the 470 Worlds in Spain in May and maybe the Europeans in June.
We will have to be careful about getting the right balance in peaking for only a couple of events so that we go into the Olympics with the right amount of training and racing behind us. But we have an experienced coach in double Olympic silver medallist, Joe Glanfield with us and are confident that our programme is equally rigorous and flexible enough to give us the best chance at the Games.
Hannah
The 470 Girls are experianced Olympian, Saskia Clark and top saling talent, Hannah Mills. The 470 Girls are supported in their campagin by Volvo Car UK. Find out more at www.volvocars.co.uk/sailing
470 World Championships at Barcelona, Spain - Day 3
Race day 3 was tense and enthralling. Seven nations secured their right to be at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 470 Men, whilst six nations in the 470 Women continue to fight their way for the remaining five nation places.
Posted on 16 May
470 World Championships at Barcelona, Spain - Day 2
Every race counts, but with three races today it was really crucial for teams to pump in some good scores and position themselves as solidly as possible before Tuesday’s final two races of the qualification series.
Posted on 14 May
470 World Championships at Barcelona, Spain - Day 1
A patient morning was in order for the first race day of the 2012 470 World Championships to get underway as the sailors were kept postponed ashore waiting for wind.
Posted on 14 May
470 World Championships - Barcelona In Port Race
The 20 best international sailing crews made 2 exhibition races in the port of Barcelona. The World championship starts tomorrow, Sunday 13th, with 43 countries and 258 yachtsmen.
Posted on 13 May
470 World Championships at Barcelona, Spain - Preview
Racing at the 2012 470 World Championships gets underway from 12-19 June 2012, with 153 teams from 43 nations registered and fighting for World Championship success and Olympic dreams.
Posted on 12 May
77 days to go until London 2012 - Introducing Niklas Lindgren (FIN)
Finnish Men’s 470 sailor Niklas Lindgren sailed at Beijing 2008 and picked up memories that will stay with him forever. And he will look to gain more memories and a higher finish at his second Olympic Games at London 2012.
Posted on 11 May
78 days to go until London 2012 - Introducing Ai Kondo (JPN)
Japan’s Ai Kondo will be sailing with Wakako Tabata at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition and the Japanese pair will be one of the favourites for Women’s 470 gold.
Posted on 10 May
79 days to go until London 2012 - Introducing Joonas Lindgren (FIN)
Joonas Lindgren (FIN) has been quietly preparing for the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition with crew Niklas Lindgren. The pair finished 22nd at the 2011 ISAF Worlds but had an amazing opening day with a race win and a second place.
Posted on 9 May
83 days to go until London 2012 - Introducing Giovanna Micol (ITA)
Giovanna Micol is competing in the Women’s 470 class for Italy in London 2012.
Posted on 5 May
84 days to go until London 2012 - Introducing Giulia Conti (ITA)
Giulia Conti (ITA) was a bit naughty when she was a young girl, but when she hopped in a boat she changed her ways and will be heading to the London 2012 Olympics 15 years on from jumping in a boat.
Posted on 4 May