Giles surge caps golden hour for country’s jubilant sailors
AS HE clutched his gold medal, Giles Scott said he had never known pressure like it.
Along the boardwalk he was being hailed as “the king” of Britain’s sailing team. Sir Ben Ainslie paid tribute to how cool he had been. He had just retained his title in the Finn class to complete an Olympic golden hour without equal for Britain’s yachtsmen and women. He had watched Stuart Bithell and Dylan Fletcher deliver the nation’s historic first win in the 49ers class – then went out and matched it.
Soon after, John Gimson and Anna Burnet followed him back into Enoshima harbour with a silver medal in the mixed Nacra 17 class. Britannia ruling the waves? You bet. Yet what made yesterday so incredible was the manner of the achievement.
With 20 metres remaining, Scott was in silver medal position.With 10 to go in theirs, the 49er boys were too. Scott, 34, a double Olympic champion with experience of the America’s Cup, said: “No doubt that’s the greatest pressure I’ve felt in my career. “That was mine to lose. I got there, but only just. I’ve never been involved in any form of boat race as close as that.”
The reigning champion had won six of the previous seven races, putting him in the position he dreamed of as a kid wanting to be Ainslie. He would have had to false start and finish out of the top five in the medal race to blow it.
Yet, when the hooter sounded in Sagami Bay, he twitched on the start line so doubled back and started again to avoid the possibility of a penalty.
“That left him at the back of the fleet, playing catch-up. With 50m to go, he was sixth, behind big rival Zsombor Berecz, of Hungary. Britain’s gold monopoly since 2000 seemed to be ending.
Bithell and Fletcher had powered from nowhere to pip the Germans in the previous race, and Scott somehow found a way past Turkey on the line in a heart-stopping finish.
Ainslie tweeted: “How cool under pressure. Seriously, well done.”
Scott said: “To follow legends like Iain Percy and Ben Ainslie, my heroes growing up, yeah, so proud. That’s six in a row for Britain in the Finn.We own it.”
The class, though, is being retired. Bithell described Scott as “incredible” for the way he exerted his will on the race, like Ainslie.
“Giles is a super chilled guy but a very talented sailor,” he said. “He’s the Big Man, the king of our team.”
A brilliant day for the British team was capped by a silver for debutants Gimson and Burnet.
They had guaranteed a medal going into the final race and finished fifth to stay second behind Italians Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti.
Gimson, 38, said: “Twice my discipline got dropped. The second time I’d sold my house and had no money. I was questioning my life decisions, but it was all worth it.”
Britain are favourites for gold again in the women’s 470 today, with Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre leading and certain of a medal.
I’ve never been in a race as close