After confirmation of their places in the New Zealand Olympic team for the Games in France in August, Erica Dawson, Josh Armit, and Veerle ten Have will be splitting their time between building towards that as well as their America’s Cup campaigns.
Armit and ten Have, who will be New Zealand’s first athletes to compete in the iQFOIL class as it replaces RS:X windsurfing at the Olympics, both earned a place in Team New Zealand’s Youth America’s Cup squad. Dawson, competing in her second Olympics alongside crewmate Micah Wilkinson in the Nacra 17, is in Team New Zealand’s squad for the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup.
Sailing at the Olympics is being held in Marseilles and runs from July 28 to August 8. The Youth America’s Cup follows about a month later in Barcelona, running from September 17-26, followed by the women’s regatta from October 5-13.
Ten Have said it made for a busy training block ahead.
“It’s busy long days – from 6am to 7pm most days, rushing from one training to the next training, but they’re both great opportunities and to be part of both opportunities is really awesome,” ten Have said.
“I think so far already I’ve picked up a lot from the AC. Mostly just tactical stuff, but even some trimming stuff; even though they’re totally different, sailing and windsurfing sails, but I’m still learning a lot and transferring foiling skills from the windfoil to the boat. It’s good to have the knowledge.”
Josh Armit, Veerle ten Have, Micah Wilkinson, Erica Dawson and Tom Saunders will represent New Zealand in sailing at the Olympic Games. Photo / Jason Dorday
So far, the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup teams have been working in an AC40 simulator, with Team New Zealand’s boat yet to arrive back from Jeddah after being held up in shipping delays on the Red Sea. It is expected back in Auckland in mid-March.
Armit said the two campaigns would run alongside each other well.
“They’re super relatable. The great thing is they both relate heaps, the tactics are similar in both classes and it’s an awesome thing to learn hand in hand and open up your mind to the capabilities of what’s possible in both dimensions; just pushing outside the box of what you think is possible.”
The Olympic sailors will be heading to Europe in the coming weeks for a few regattas and Olympic testing events, then returning home for final preparations before arriving for the Olympics.
While Armit and ten Have are competing in an individual class at the Olympics, Dawson had the consideration of working with a teammate in the Nacra 17 – a mixed-gender two-person foiling catamaran - to factor in as well.
“So far it’s been really good. But full focus on the Nacra at the moment and then after the Olympics we’ll head to Barcelona and get sailing which will be pretty cool,” Dawson said of managing time in both teams.
“Micah’s been super supportive which is really cool, and we both believe that the skills I learn on [the AC40] are going to help me on the Nacra, and vice-versa.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
