Australian sailing team began preparation for Tokyo 2020 games four months ago
THE Australian sailing team’s successful Rio campaign isn’t even over and they’ve already begun training in Tokyo for the 2020 games. In fact, it began four months ago.
THE Australian sailing team’s successful Rio campaign isn’t even over and they’ve already begun training in Tokyo for the 2020 games.
In fact, it began four months ago.
Despite there being 1,436 days to go until the next Olympics in Tokyo, Australian sailing high performance director Peter Conde has revealed members of the team have already visited the Japanese city to train and prepare in a bid to maintain their lofty standards on the water.
“We had our first trip to Tokyo back in April,’’ Conde said.
“Our President (Matt Allen) has been there as well, so we’ve had a couple of visits to Tokyo to sort out the logistics and landscape.
“We’ve got to build the relationships, we’ve got to understand the lay of the land, the possibilities and the challenges.
“And it will be a completely different situation to what we’ve got here (in Rio).
“Our 470 men’s crew (Mat Belcher and Will Ryan) have done a lot of training at Enoshima (sailing venue) and the reports are they’re just champagne conditions for sailing.’’
While the level of preparation the Australian sailing team has gone to to acclimatise to the Rio conditions has been touched on, it comes as a surprise that they have already begun targeting Tokyo.
One of the few team’s to deliver results for the nation on a consistent basis, the Australian sailing team have tried desperately to save this Olympic campaign from disaster.
On a baron medal table they have provided a gold with Tom Burton and a silver medal from Nacra 17-mixed cousins Lisa Darmanin and Jason Waterhouse – and the possibility of more to come.
Conde said there was no fluke in the precision required to deliver on medal day. But rather, it was all in the planning and the access to the mighty dollar.
“We had our first trip here six months before the last Olympics (In London). We started in April 2012 and had the first sailors training here in November 2012,’’ Conde said.
“You see here how important the environment is in a sport like sailing, we have to understand the environment extremely well and there is no more complex environment, I can assure you anywhere that you can sail in, than sailing here in Rio.
“The currents are incredibly complicated, the winds are incredibly complicated, to have both those things at their most extreme in one venue, is unique.
“We’ve had our base here permanently for two and a half years. There was a lot of research to figure that out beforehand.
“We’re very happy with the way that worked out. The sailors all feel that they’ve had an environment which has enabled them to perform to their potential.
“It’s a massive financial drain, but if we can keep that funding it gives us a reasonable opportunity to really build on what we’ve done in the pathways so far.
“We’ve got some outstanding young sailors coming through.
“The challenge for us now is to make sure that we do everything we need to do to make that pathway a really successful one.’’
Originally published as Australian sailing team began preparation for Tokyo 2020 games four months ago
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