POOLE sailing sensation Ellie Aldridge was delighted to pick up a silver medal in the Olympic Test Event but plans to upgrade it to gold at Paris 2024, reports Tom Masters. 

Aldridge 28, finished behind France’s Lauriane Nolot, who delivered a Bastille Day triumph for the home supporters in the women’s kite. 

And now Aldridge has raced in the same venue as the Olympics next year, she understands the work she must do to get the better of Nolot. 

She said: “I am really happy with silver, we had to wait for all the semi-finals to be done, so it was a long day beforehand but that is not an excuse at all, to be honest she was quite a long way ahead of me and I need to figure out how to close the gap. 

“She definitely feels like she has a bit of an advantage now but that is good because it puts her in quite a vulnerable position for next year. 

“She is just faster than me still, so I need to work on being faster and then hopefully I can overtake her next year.” 

The conditions in Marseille are unique, with winds coming from all directions and the brightness in the morning also having an effect on racing, as well as the searing heat. 

That does not make sailing easy, but Aldridge was pleased with how she handled the conditions and now targets being the first gold medallist in a new Olympic discipline. 

“I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did in some of the conditions, it is tricky here, so I think training in places that are going to suit the conditions for here is going to be really key and the wind can be quite wacky as well so being quite adaptable will be quite important, “ she added.  

“I am feeling good, I still have a lot to do for next year, but I have a clear idea of what I need to do to get into good preparation and being in a good position to beat Lauriane next year. 

“My goal is definitely to go out and get gold next year for sure. 

“The whole fleet will basically be first time Olympians because it is a new addition to the Games which I think will be quite fun, it is going to be very different and quite a different environment from what we are used to, but this has been a good warm up so that is helpful.”

You can follow the British Sailing Team at the upcoming Sailing World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, on Instagram at @britishsailing.