Wilson makes up for lost time as Paris 2024 windsurfing begins
By Paul Eddison, Sportsbeat
Emma Wilson’s Olympic regatta suffered a false start due to lack of wind, but she made up for lost time.
A bronze medallist in Tokyo three years ago, the Nottingham-born windsurfer was made to wait on Sunday as all the iQFOiL racing was postponed as the weather did not play ball.
When racing finally began on Monday, Wilson did not hang about, winning the opening race before coming home second in the second.
That leaves her top of the pile, albeit with a long way to go in the competition, and the 25-year-old could not have been happier.
She said: "It was so nice to get on the water finally and be foiling around, I don't know I just feel happier out there. Yeah, I was really happy to come away with the results I did, it’s a dream come true.
Dream start to Paris 2024 for windsurfer Emma Wilson! 🎡
A race win and a second place finish today, sees her top the overall standings after two days of racing. #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/R1yuD0WLYg— Team GB (@TeamGB) July 29, 2024
"To win the first race of the Olympic Games I think that’s pretty cool, and I was super happy and then to back it out with second, yeah super happy.”
Wilson and the iQFOiL competitors will race 17 times in the opening series, to book their place in the medal series where the final podium will be decided.
She knows that there is a long way to go before she can start dreaming of a second Olympic medal – having taken bronze in the RS:X in 2021 – but Wilson hopes that her performance will have an impact on the next generation of windsurfers.
She added: "I hope I can inspire some young kids out there.
"It’s a long series, so I'm just trying to enjoy each day and to get a race win today was really cool."
Follow the British Sailing Team at Paris 2024 on Instagram at @britishsailing and on www.britishsailingteam.com