Olympic hopeful collects golden nuggets of advice
AN OLYMPIC sailing hopeful who has seen his dreams delayed for a year has been using the time to pick the brains of some of the sport’s legends.
Elliot Hanson, 26, from Macclesfield, had already secured his spot on the plane to Tokyo 2020 when the games were suspended for 12 months because of the Covid crisis.
He has already won a World Cup Series event and finished fifth in the World Championships, so hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ben Ainslie, also from Macclesfield, by striking Olympic gold.
And the delay has given Elliot time to take some tips from the legendary sailor, who finished on top of the podium four times.
He said: “I’ve done a . lot of talking with past
British Olympians from the sailing team. I’ve been on the phone to Iain Percy, while I’ve also reached out to Hugh Styles and Sir Ben Ainslie. I know Ben reasonably well and we’re on good terms – what’s nice is he’s told me his phone is always open, and it’s great to have those guys who are still so passionate about Olympic sailing.
“I’ve really drawn down and made use of all these resources that I knew the team had, and made them relevant to myself – I saw a great deal of value in that.”
Elliot takes part in the laser class and is funded by the National Lottery so he can train full-time.
He has managed to qualify for the British Olympic team despite recent performances being disrupted by injuries.
A former King’s School pupil, Elliot learned his skills at the school’s sailing club and Redesmere Sailing Club, near Capesthorne Hall.
Now he is determined to make an impact in Tokyo this time next year.
Elliot said: “Setting that goal of that very top step on the podium makes you do all the things you need to do on a daily basis. As long as I can execute the performance I know I want to, then the podium part takes care of itself.”
No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £30 million each week for good causes. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at www. lotterygoodcauses.org. uk/stories/track-totokyo and #TNLAthletes #TracktoTokyo.