Sailors aiming for gold tell of 'super cool' sport

Anna Burnet and John Gimson won silver in Tokyo 2020

Two sailors from Cheshire are hoping their experience will help them in their quest for gold medals at the Paris Olympics.

John Gimson, 41, from Congleton, and Chris Grube, 39, from Chester, might be the two oldest Team GB sailors but they are both looking to win their first golds in Marseille where they will be sailing.

Gimson said he and his partner Anna Burnet had a "hunger" to win gold, adding: "We know we can do it."

Grube described the "exhilarating feeling" of sailing the 470 where he hangs out of the boat almost horizontally, which he said was "super cool".

He has been coaxed out of retirement to compete in the mixed dinghy class alongside Vita Heathcote.

But despite previously thinking he would be watching with his young family from the sofa, he said: "I still believe I can do it.

"I'm still physically fit enough to sail the boat and I'm even more of a rounded sailor now than I was previously."

Chris Grube says he was initially intending to watch Paris 2024 from his sofa

Gimson and Burnet are taking part in the mixed multihull (Nacra 17), the fastest Olympic sailing event.

The pair won silver in Tokyo 2020 and believe they can go one better in this Games.

Grube finished fifth at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in the 470 dinghy class which is now a mixed event with men and women competing together.

His new partner Heathcote is 17 years his junior.

"You couldn't really design a better 470 crew," he said.

"She's very light and small so kind of like a jockey at the back of the boat and you have your tall leverage at the front of the boat."

Heathcote is hoping to capitalise on his experience for anything the Olympics throws up.

She said: "He knows what he's doing; he's been through it all before.

"He is such a good sounding board for anything in the campaign".

Chris Grube says sailing the 470 was "super cool"

Grube hopes the mixture of his experience and Heathcote's youth will prove to be a golden partnership.

"We're a competitive team," he said.

"I really believe we can do it."

Grube said he spent a bit of time in Marseille during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It was one of the only places that we were allowed to train.

"It is just amazing scenery, you're at one with the elements; the wind, the waves, the water.

"That's what makes it for me."

John Gimson and Anna Burnet are hoping to go one better this time

He said he loves sailing the 470, which was "good fun".

"It's super cool. You're hooked on with your harness and you have one rope in your hand, to hold on," he said.

"It's quite an exhilarating feeling."

Gimson is competing with his partner on and off the water, Scotland's Anna Burnett.

The couple are hoping to improve on their silver Olympic medal.

"You always dream of the gold medal so we kind of have the same hunger," he said.

"We know we can do it. We have the ability and we've shown that," said Burnett.