Emerging Nations Program: Van Aanholt looks to build on family tradition

Van Aanholt comes from strong Olympic pedigree, his father Cor competed for the Netherland Antilles against Sir Ben Ainslie, among others, back in Sydney 2000, while sister Philipine represented Aruba in Rio seven years ago.

For the latest sailor in the family, the upcoming Allianz World Sailing Championships in The Hague offers the chance to guarantee another Aruba sailor in Paris in 2024 – provided he can finish among the top ten countries in the ILCA 7 class.

And as he prepares to make the most of the support of World Sailing’s Emerging Nations Program, which offers sailors elite coaching and extra technical training, Van Aanholt is dreaming big.

He explained: “I’m really looking forward to being supported by the Emerging Nations Program in The Hague once again. I was supported by them once in the past in the Youth Sailing World Championships. I’m looking forward to having that support again with coaching and also monitoring the training plans.

“The overall goal for the Worlds is to qualify the country, it would be the first opportunity to qualify Aruba for the Olympics. I had a good Worlds in Mexico last year and if I can do a little bit better, it’s a possibility.

“It would be very special, it’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, some highs, winning races at Worlds but also other times struggling, being in the silver fleet, it would mean the world to me.”

Van Aanholt caught the eye in Vallarta last May, winning two of the first three races before falling back and finishing 40th overall.

Global impact of Emerging Nations Program

Still, his success was proof that sailing does not need to be limited to the traditionally strong nations, and his ambitions are shared by some of the other athletes on the Emerging Nations Program.

Windsurfers Jerome Kumar Savarimuthu and Samuel Perez Hults are in action in the iQFOiL for India and Dominican Republic respectively at the Allianz Regatta in Almere and Lelystad, and are both hoping that strong showings in the Netherlands will stand them in good stead for the Worlds.

As well as offering improved coaching, the program will also provide one Olympic qualifying spot for each class in Paris next year, an opportunity that Perez Hults is desperate to seize – even if the first ambition is being one of the first ten countries at the Worlds to qualify the Dominican Republic by right.

He said: “I would say, if you are like myself, in an emerging nation, this is a great opportunity, take advantage of it. At least one of us will have the chance to come to the Games which will be amazing.

“The Allianz Regatta has been amazing. I did it last year too and that is the reason I came back because it was amazing. This place has been great to me, it’s a great place to train because it’s similar to what we can expect at The Hague.

“My ambitions there are easy, be one of the top ten countries!”

Savarimithu echoed those ambitions, saying: “My goal at the World Championships is to qualify my country.

“The emerging nations program has been a big help for me with the aim of qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris.”