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There have been few routes for top female sailors to progress
beyond events such as the Olympics and SailGP has implemented a
pathway in an effort to address this gap.
The $1 million prize competition, co-founded in 2018 by Oracle
Chairman Larry Ellison and SailGP CEO Russell Coutts, is in its
second season and will see eight crews line up off Cadiz in
Spain this weekend for the final event of its European leg.
One of those sailing in Spain will be Britain's Hannah Mills who
became the most successful ever female Olympic sailor when she
and Eilidh McIntyre won gold in the 470 dinghy at Tokyo, adding
to her gold at Rio and silver at the London Games.
"This is pretty groundbreaking for female sailors and the sport
... I know how inspiring it would have been for me when I was
young," Mills told Reuters from Cadiz.
SailGP said those competing along with Mills would be Nina
Curtis for Australia, Katja Salskov-Iversen for Denmark, Amelie
Riou for France, Sena Takano for Japan, Erica Dawson for New
Zealand, Andrea Emone for Spain and CJ Perez for the U.S.
"The more professional opportunities there are, the more females
will participate," said Mills, who has been picked by Ben
Ainslie to join his Great Britain SailGP team after trials.
"It's adrenaline-fuelled like no other sailing I've ever done.
The speed and the G-forces you get going round corners are
absolutely phenomenal. It can feel like the boat is on the
edge," Mills said of the futuristic F50 craft.
Ainslie, who is the most successful male Olympic sailor, said it
was a "great" development, adding that Mills and others "can and
will play a significant part" in both SailGP and the America's
Cup, which is planning a women's event.
"Hannah is a great team player. Talent speaks for itself.
Results speak for themselves. In female sailing they don't get
any better," Ainslie said of Mills.
"She is just as motivated, if not more motivated to win than the
rest of us," he told Reuters, adding that Mills would be
involved in tactical calls and how the vast "wing" is set.
For Mills, who set out to win Olympic gold at an early age,
moving from practice to full-blown F50 racing opens another
chapter in the wake of a feat which is still sinking in.
"I never started my Olympic journey hoping to achieve that ... I
can't quite believe that it happened," she said.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Toby Davis)
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