Emma Wilson wins first sailing medal of Paris 2024 with bronze

Emma Wilson won Team GB’s first medal in sailing at Paris 2024 after claiming bronze in the women’s iQFOiL.

The British sailor was guaranteed a medal in the three-person final after dominating the opening series off the Marseille coast.

Italy's Marta Maggetti won gold and Israel's Sharon Kantor took silver after the pair both tacked earlier than Wilson after rounding the bottom gate, a decision that she believes allowed them to make further gains.

And with another Olympic medal, claiming bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games in the RS:X event, Wilson hopes that her success can help inspire a new generation of windsurfers.

“I just made a mistake on the layline," she said. "For now, it really hurts, but I’ll be proud when I get on the podium.

“I just hope I can inspire some kids. What I’ve done this week, I’ve shown you can dominate a sport. If I can show them that you work hard and that’s what happens, then that’s a win.

"I’d love to go home with a gold medal but bronze will have to do.”

Wilson had led the fleet racing series earlier in the week, winning eight races and trailing her closest rival by 31 points.

The sailor only finished outside of the top three once in the preliminary races ahead of the final, which had been held over from Friday due to light winds, clinching third in the final.

Wilson’s teammate Sam Sills was just out of reach of progressing to the men’s iQFoil class final after finishing fourth in the semi-final.

Sportsbeat 2024