How Ellie Aldridge's Olympic risk brought the ultimate reward

Sailing 08 Aug 24

Ellie Aldridge rolled the dice and came out with Olympic gold.

It has been a deeply frustrating regatta for Team GB’s sailors, who have been twiddling their thumbs for the most part due to a lack of wind.

When they have been able to race, results have been mixed with Emma Wilson’s bronze their only medal heading into the final day.

“It has been a tricky week,” said Aldridge.

“As soon as we knew we were competing at Marseille, we knew it was going to be tough, we knew the wind was going to be light, we knew it would be one of the worst places we’ve ever kited.”

This meant that only those who could adapt would survive and Aldridge did exactly that to be crowned Olympic champion in the inaugural women’s kite event.

Kite foiling is the fastest sport on the Olympic programme and sees riders ‘fly’ above the water on hydrofoils attached to boards, powered by huge kites.

A chaotic finals format sees the scores from the opening series wiped and the last four riders standing battle it out for medals.

The Brit did enough to make it into the final series where she faced Lauriane Nolot, the French favourite who has been her nemesis in recent years.

Nolot won gold and Aldridge silver at the last two World Championships and at the Test Event.

To overhaul the odds, Aldridge had one joker to play and played it to perfection.

The competitors have a choice of kite size, depending on weather conditions, and can change kites during the racing if they wish.

Aldridge was the only rider to choose a smaller kite. It was a risk that paid off handsomely as she carried far more speed than her rivals in the two deciding races, leading from start to finish in both to claim a stunning victory.

“It just felt like a 21 (larger size) wasn’t the right thing for me,” said Aldridge. “I went out on a 21 and thought, ‘nah’.

“I prefer the 15 on a shorter course, it’s more manoeuvrable and I feel more comfortable.

“I knew the bigger kites would be faster downwind and then slower upwind so when I went down the mark I knew that was when I had to make the overtake.

“I trusted my gut and it worked out that it was the right thing to do.”

Sportsbeat 2024

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