Preparation is everything in Olympic sailing

Unlike most Olympic athletes, sailors spend a considerable amount of time in an Olympic nation and host city. Sailors and coaches need to accustom their routine prior to competition, so they can solely focus on their performance during racing.

Regattas generally last for a week and sailors need plenty of time before to ensure their boat, body and mind-set is geared for anything and everything that challenges them on the racing area.
 
Women’s Two Person Dinghy (470) sailor, Agnieszka Skrzypulec, is preparing to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The 28-year-old, alongside her crew, Irmina Mrózek Gliszczynska, currently hold first position in the Women’s 470 fleet in Gamagori, Japan for the 2017-18 Sailing World Cup Series.
 
The Polish pair made the decision during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to compete in the next Games, Tokyo 2020.
 
Skrzypulec shares her view on the difference between most Olympic sports and sailing, prior to an event. “Sailing, compared to many other sports, is different because our regattas last for a week. So, we generally spend more time in a host city.
 
“When we travel to host nations, we have to get used to the transport, food and accommodation because we will be there for quite some time and we will need to feel comfortable in order to perform our best.”
 
She added, “We also need time, before a regatta, to do some boat work. That is why it is important for us to attend a host nation way in advance of competing.”
 
Sailing is a sport that sees competitors challenged by mother nature and skilled sailors must be able to compete in a mixture of conditions from tidal influences, wind direction and wind strength. No two days are ever the same and the Polish sailors know it’s important to acclimatise to any venue well in advance of competition.  
 
In preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Skrzypulec and Gliszczynska, plan to sail in the Olympic venue, in Enoshima every August before 2020, to get a feel of what conditions will be like during the Games.
 
“We plan to come to Japan, in August 2018 –  roughly the months of the Olympic Games, but that’s the only time we plan on coming before the Olympic Games.
 
“Our main intention is to experience the wind and sea patterns, so we know what we will need to work on before the main event,” concluded Skrzypulec.
 
Skrzypulec and Gliszczynska are presently experiencing Gamagori’s showers at the World Cup Series, however this has not stopped them leading their class.
 
Skipper, Skrzypulec, said that they chose to attend Gamagori because it will help them to get an idea of the sailing conditions, accommodation and whether or not they will need to bring their own food, in preparation to the 2020 Olympic Games.
 
Click here to find out how you can follow the World Cup Series in Gamagori.