Five sailors added to Team GB for Rio 2016

by Lindsey Bell, RYA 8 Mar 2016 11:29 GMT 8 March 2016

With 150 days to go to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the British Olympic Association (BOA) can today announce five additional sailors from three classes selected to compete for Team GB this summer.

Nick Dempsey is set to become a five-time Olympian in Rio after the London 2012 silver medallist and Athens 2004 bronze medallist was selected for the RS:X Men's windsurfing class. If the double World Champion wins gold in Rio, he will become the most successful men's Olympic windsurfer in history.

Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth, who finished fifth at the 2015 World Championships, will make their Olympic debuts in the 49erFX – a new event for Rio – with 2015 European Champions Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves following suit in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull event, which also sees its first Olympic Games outing this year.

The five sailors join those initially selected in September. However, from those selected in September, the BOA, in conjunction with the Royal Yachting Association, has made the difficult decision to deselect the 470 Men's pairing of Luke Patience and Elliot Willis. Due to Elliot's ongoing treatment for bowel cancer, as a two person crew, they are unfortunately unable to follow the combined training programme required to maximise their chances of success in Rio.

Selection trials in the 470 Men's event will therefore continue, with the trials in the 49er class also ongoing.

Team GB's sailing squad for Rio 2016:

• Giles Scott: Finn
• Nick Thompson: Laser
• Alison Young: Laser Radial
• Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark: 470 Women
• Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth: 49erFX
• Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves: Nacra 17
• Bryony Shaw: RS:X Women
• Nick Dempsey: RS:X Men

British sailors have established a proud tradition of excellence in Olympic competition, having won 55 medals – including 26 golds – since sailing made its debut at Paris 1900 with Team GB topping the overall Olympic sailing medal table.

Today's selection takes Team GB total athlete delegation to 21 from three sports; sailing (11 athletes), shooting (six) and canoe slalom (four).

Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England said:
"It's great to welcome five new athletes to Team GB and see our number of selected sailors grow further.

"Rio 2016 will be a special occasion for each of these sailors, with four experiencing an Olympic Games for the very first time while Nick Dempsey will be joining a select group of athletes who have achieved the accolade of competing for Team GB at five consecutive Olympic Games.

"While it's a great day for them, it's hugely disappointing for both Luke and Elliot, and everyone at the BOA wishes Elliot the very best in his recovery."

Stephen Park OBE, RYA Olympic Manager and Team GB Sailing Team Leader said:
"It's fantastic to be naming some new first time Olympians to be joining the team already selected, and fantastic that Nick Dempsey will have the opportunity to try and complete his medal set at his fifth Olympic Games.

"The circumstances surrounding the deselection of Luke and Elliot are obviously disappointing for everyone. However, as a team we knew we would be set a number of challenges in this journey to Rio 2016 and this is just one we have to deal with along the road. Hopefully this doesn't mark the end of Elliot's Olympic journey and we look forward to seeing him back in the boat soon."

Nick Dempsey, 35, from Norwich and now lives in Weymouth said:
"It's pretty special. I have been doing this for a long time and I just feel incredibly proud and very lucky to represent my country again at my fifth Olympic Games. I never thought I would make it this far and so am very honoured. It feels like quite an achievement, not a lot does but this does.

I do this because I want to win an Olympic gold medal for myself and I want to achieve what I know I can achieve and that is to win so I'm going to give it a go, stick at it and hopefully do what I know I can do."

Charlotte Dobson, 29, born in Glasgow and now lives in Weymouth said:
"It's absolutely incredible, it has been a long time coming. I have done two cycles as the bridesmaid in a boat on my own, and this time it's so amazing to be the bride eventually. It's just really cool to have done it with Soph in a team, it almost makes it feel a little bit more special being able to share it with somebody.

"You see how once people are selected they slightly change almost and I think when I woke up this morning it didn't feel so much of a personal challenge any more. It's a personal ambition to win a gold medal but it is more of an honour, a lot of people are behind you in the British Team and it's for Queen and country. It feels like a lot of responsibility, for all the people that haven't been selected and people have got selected in the past, to make them proud."

Sophie Ainsworth, 26, born in Ashford, Kent and now lives in Weymouth said:
"I was absolutely ecstatic when we got the phone call to say we were going to the Olympic Games.

"There is a lot of work to do between now and the Games, we have a lot of goals that we need to work on so that we are really confident going into the Games. The Olympics only happen once every four years so it's really special to us and we just want to go in as confident as we can so we can perform on that day."

Ben Saxton, 25, born in Cambridge and now lives in Weymouth said:
"I'm pretty excited to do two things towards the Games, one is get a medal for Nicola and I, and the other is to support the rest of the sailing team as much as possible. A lot of our foreign competitors are envious of what we have got but I think we've a good mix, with the likes of Nick Dempsey and all of his Olympics experience, as well as some youth and enthusiasm. We bring our own skills so I think as a team we will be able to do something quite special in Rio."

Nicola Groves, 26, born in Surbiton and lives in Southampton said:
"I was unbelievably excited to get the call saying we'd been selected. We were in Alexandra Palace at the time and I was jumping around the atrium so unbelievably excited, over the moon. I'm now slightly daunted at what we have got to do, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

"The team is so strong, there are some amazing people in it and some absolutely lovely characters. I'm really looking forward to them helping me, drawing on their support and encouragement throughout the Games and hopefully I can keep cheering and supporting them in their Games preparations as we go on as well."

Luke Patience:
"Clearly Elliot's situation is one neither of us foresaw when we embarked on our campaign together and I'm sad that we won't be able to compete together in Rio this summer. The thoughts of all the team continue to be with Elliot in his ongoing recovery. For me, it's absolutely the right thing to do to see through the work Elliot and I started out together. I'm aiming to requalify for Rio with Chris [Grube] and do the best job we can to bring home a medal."

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