Three-time Olympian Bryony Shaw has hailed the GB Sailing team’s medal-winning performances in Tokyo after Giles Scott claimed his second Olympic gold medal.
Shaw, who won windsurfing bronze at Beijing 2008, has high hopes for Team GB to put in even more podium finishes at the postponed Olympic Games, despite some unpredictable weather conditions.
Scott won gold in the Finn class in Tokyo on Tuesday, defending his title from Rio five years ago having only just returned to the class after helping Ben Ainslie’s British Cup campaign earlier this year.
The 34-year-old's first race at Tokyo 2020 saw him finish ninth, but he managed to turn his campaign around, finishing first in six of the next nine races before taking fourth in the medal race to clinch his second gold.
Shaw said: “I think Giles had a bit of a shaky start and a little bit of rust that needed to be flicked off, but he's admitted that himself.
“Then, to put a string of first places together, he absolutely showed that his status in the class.
“The history that GB has from bringing medals back from the Finn class - you have Iain Percy and Ben Ainslie, and now Giles Scott - he's now the star of the team and we've put a lot of pressure on his shoulders to bring the gold."
Monday’s racing in Tokyo was postponed as organisers waited for winds to pick up at Enoshima Yacht Harbour, while last week a typhoon threatened to cancel racing altogether, but Shaw believes this won’t faze British medal contenders who are likely to follow in Scott's footsteps.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here