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Sunday 11 June 2023

Bettine Harris: Somerset sailor to compete at Olympics test event


 

Somerset sailor Bettine Harris says she wants to "take her chance" of qualifying for Paris 2024 after being selected for an Olympics test event.


The 20-year-old has been named in Great Britain's 14-strong squad for the competition in Marseille in July.


Harris, from Axbridge, only joined British Sailing's elite team in February.


She will compete in the mixed 470 class alongside sailing partner Martin Wrigley.


"It will hopefully be an incredible experience, I'm really excited for it. I'm still working out who's who and everything, there's so much to learn before then but I'm really looking forward to it." 


"I wasn't really thinking of 2024, it was much more 2028, but if the chance is there I definitely want to take it."


Harris is from a sailing family and has competed from a young age. Her grandfather was a boat builder, her dad sailed and raced and her brother also competed - the siblings partnered up and won national titles and world under-15 championships together.


"I way prefer sailing with another person than sailing on my own, and I learnt a lot from him," Harris said.


"He's a two-time cadet national champion and cadet world champion so I definitely learnt a lot from him at the beginning."


It was when the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 stopped Harris from sailing that she realised how much the sport meant to her - and her desire to pursue it as a career increased.


Yet getting a call-up to the British elite squad this year was not part of the plan.


"It was quite a big surprise - I definitely wasn't expecting this at the beginning of the year," Harris continued.


"It's been quite a big jump up to the amount of sailing volume that we've been doing compared to before when I was in education. It's definitely been a bit of a wake-up call for my body.


"But it's been really good. I do a lot of stuff off the water in the gym and on the bikes. It's a lot of training outside on the water stuff."

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