Historic Hannah’s on crest of a golden wave
HANNAH Mills sailed into the record books to become the most successful female Olympic mariner in history as she grabbed another gold for Team GB.
TheWelsh wonder’s win alongside Eilidh McIntyre in the women’s 470 yesterday meant Britain topped the regatta medal table with a stunning haul of five medals – three golds, one silver and a bronze.
She said: “To become the most successful female sailor is insane.
“Growing up as a little girl, it’s something I had in my mind that I wanted to do – to win a gold medal, then to win the most.”
With Ben Maher claiming gold in the individual showjumping event, Wonderful Wednesday followed Terrific Tuesday when Team GB enjoyed its best day of the Games with eight medals.
Sensation
The team moved up to fourth in the medal table with 48.
Boxer BenWhittaker chipped in with silver in the men’s light-heavyweight division and Frazer Clarke was bloodied but unbowed to get a bronze in the men’s super-heavyweight class.
Hannah, 33, who carried the British flag at the opening ceremony, won gold at Rio 2016 and silver at London 2012 with former partner Saskia Clark.
And alongside Eilidh, 27, the sailing sensation dominated the regatta at Enoshima, winning two races and only twice finishing outside the top four.
They went into the medal race with a 14-point lead.That meant they only needed to finish in the top seven to clinch gold.They cruised home in fifth place but there was an agonising delay for the result to be ratified as sore losers France launched a protest that was dismissed.
Hannah was inspired to take to the water by Team GB’s most decorated sailor Sir Ben Ainslie.
Her family and friends gathered at Cardiff Bay Yacht Club in the early hours to watch the drama unfold.
Delighted mum Fiona said: “We had absolute joy and ecstasy at the girls winning the gold medal, absolute despair and sadness the girls got protested, and then absolute joy and ecstasy that the protest got overturned.
Fiona said her daughter had become an inspiration – like her own hero.
She added: “Her brother Richard is watersports manager at Cardiff Bay Yacht Club and some of his little people say ‘we want to be like Hannah’ and Hannah just wanted to be like Ben Ainslie.”
Richard said: “It’s just amazing for Hannah. It’s not just the club, it’s the whole of Cardiff, the whole of Wales, as well as Great Britain. It’s just great.”
Eilidh emulated her dad Michael who won gold in the Star class at the Seoul Games in 1988.
Meanwhile, showjumper Ben, 38, won a six-horse jump-off to claim gold – matching his success in the team event in 2012.
It was the second of Britain’s golds and the fifth medal overall in equestrian events. Ben,who underwent major back surgery just a year ago, competed on 12-year-old horse ExplosionW.
And he saluted his superstar, saying: “He grew wings for me – he’s a real athlete, he’s not a normal horse.”