Windsurfer Wilson fears for Paris 2024 prospects
BySportsbeat
Published 12/06/2020 at 17:44 GMT
Windsurfing star Emma Wilson admits she's worried Tokyo 2020 postponement will harm her prospects of making a career-defining equipment change for Paris 2024.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Wilson is ranked third in the Olympic RS:X class but World Sailing ruled last year that foiling will replace it from the Paris 2024 Games onwards.
The 21-year-old is a relative foiling novice and is concerned rivals, who aborted Tokyo campaigns to transition over, will steal a march.
"Most people have already started foiling so finding someone to train with at the moment is pretty hard," said Wilson, born in Nottingham but now based on the Dorset coast.
"It's tough, it'll be a challenge to move over and I'll have a shorter campaign than others.
"When the postponement of the Games was announced, that was one of the things going through my mind. I wondered 'how am I going to do this?'
"The hardest thing is going out training on my own on RS:X and seeing a group of foilers going out, knowing they've got an advantage over you."
Wilson, whose mother Penny finished sixth in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics in the same event, had emerged as a bona fide medal contender in Tokyo.
She'd already stamped her ticket on Team GB with the sailing team first to be announced in October 2019, a selection that has since been re-confirmed for next summer.
Wilson only left the junior ranks for good in 2017 but finished fourth at the Tokyo test event and has won back-to-back bronze medals at the European Championships.
"I really enjoy the RS:X and feel I have the opportunity to win an Olympic medal in that class," adds Wilson.
"With another year, we've got more time to work on things and we aren't in a rush so can try to enjoy the winter.
"I've done a little bit of foiling in the past and I think they do compliment each other so hopefully when the time comes the skills will transfer over."
© Sportsbeat 2020
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