In Paris 2024, our sailors are driven by dreams of adding to that legacy on the Mediterranean Sea, where fierce competition awaits from 28 July to 8 August. Australia’s 12 sailors are fighting for eight medals on the waters off Marseille. 

The Sailing window runs daily (from 12:00 – 19:00 local time) across three different courses. Events are staggered throughout the two weeks and medal races scheduled from 1 August - 8 August.

Paris features three new disciplines: Kite Foiling and Foiling Windsurfing, which bring speed and technology to the competition, and the Mixed Dinghy event, which promotes gender equality allowing male and female sailors to compete side-by-side. 

The Paris Games will be the first to achieve gender parity in Olympic sailing. Additionally, the team will have its first indigenous sailor, Perth-based athlete Conor Nicholas, who races in the Mixed Dinghy alongside returning Olympian and long-time friend Nia Jerwood.

Ones to Watch

Matt Wearn returns as the defending gold medallist in the men’s Dinghy and, after winning the past two World Championships, is a formidable contender. If Matt wins another gold medal, he will be the first to go back-to-back in the men’s Dinghy and secure a fourth consecutive Olympic victory for Australia in the discipline. Matt tops the world rankings ahead of Michael Beckett of Great Britain, who has been his main opponent over the past year.

In the women’s Skiff, Olivia Price returns to the Olympic stage 12 years after winning a silver medal in London 2012 (women’s Match Racing). At 19 years of age, Olivia was the youngest member of the London team and will be the eldest of this group, turning 32 the day after her medal race. Olivia, and Evie Haseldine, are strong medal contenders after bringing home a bronze at the 2023 World Championships. The Brazilian team of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze has won the only two Olympic gold medals in the women’s Skiff, but Paris 2024 has several favourites, including teams from the Netherlands and Sweden.

The speed and style of the men’s windsurfing equipment has transformed from traditional looking sail and board (RSX) at the 2020 Games to a hydrofoiling speed machine (iQfoil) at the Paris event. Grae Morris, just 20 years old, has shown significant progress over the past few years, guided by Olympic coaching veteran Arthur Brett. Grae narrowly missed Windsurfing gold at his last international regatta after building a sizable lead going into the finals. The last medal Australia won in this discipline was a bronze in 1992 by Lars Kleppich.

Breiana Whitehead has soared this year, finishing in the top five at the last three international Kite events and is currently ranked 4th in the world behind the USA, Great Britain, and France. Breiana will race in the fastest discipline in sailing, as she flies above the water on her kite board and hydrofoils, reaching speeds of up to 35 knots, or around 64 kilometres per hour.

The men’s Skiff is a highly contested discipline, with Jim Colley and Shaun Connor set to take on the fleet as one of the first classes to kick off racing at the Games. While racing will be incredibly tight, the pair has experience at the top, winning a silver medal at French Olympic Week in 2023. The equipment has undergone  upgrades in sail design since Tokyo 2020, and Jim describes the racing as “combining high-end tactics and strategy with speed and equipment development.”

Zoe Thomson makes her Olympic debut in the women’s Dinghy following a strong 2024 performance, collecting a silver medal at the Sailing World Cup in Spain. Australia has never won an Olympic medal in this discipline, and Zoe could become the first-ever individual female medallist in sailing if she were to podium.

Australia has an incredible legacy in the 470 class, winning six Olympic gold medals. However, in 2024, the class becomes a mixed event at the Games. This allows Tokyo Olympian Nia and Games rookie Conor to team up. They have had success on Olympic waters and were in contention for a medal at the 2023 Olympic test event but ultimately finished sixth. An interesting element of the racing is the choice each team makes regarding the position on board for each gender, balancing weight and skill to get the most out of the craft. The fleet is split in its decision, with Nia steering the boat and Conor on trapeze, while top-ranked Spanish sailors Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman have opted for a male helm and a female crew.

In the other combined discipline, the Mixed Multihull, Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown head to Paris with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Initially targeting LA2028, the pair was propelled into selection after a series of solid results at European and world-class regattas. While they are in Paris to gain Olympic experience, a top 10 finish and medal race would be a personal best for the pair.

Sport Format

The racing format varies across disciplines. The Dinghies (men, women, and mixed) do 10 races plus a double-point medal race. The Skiffs (men and women) and Mixed Multihull race 12 times before a medal race. Scores are awarded according to finishing positions in each race (1 point for first, 2 points for second, etc.), and each boat can discard its worst score. The ten boats with the lowest accumulated scores qualify for the medal race. In this shorter final race, points scored are doubled and added to the opening series’ scores to decide the top ten positions.

The men’s Windsurfing comprises a fleet racing, slalom racing and a marathon race followed by a medal series where the top 10 compete in quarter, semi, and grand final races. The winner of the qualifying series advances immediately to the grand final, while the second-place finisher goes straight to the semifinal. Competitors ranked third to 10th battle in the quarters and semis, attempting to qualify for the three board grand final to determine the medal order.

For Kite Foiling, 16 races are completed and multiple discards are allowed to account for the variability of kite racing. Competitors then move into a medal series comprising two semifinals of four competitors each with the winner of each advancing to a final of four, where they meet the top two contenders from the qualifying series. The first competitor with three race wins wins the regatta. Results are skewed to reward those who perform well in the qualifying races, with the leader carrying two wins and second carrying one win on their scorecard into the final series. 

Competition Schedule

All Sailing competitions will be held out of Marseille Marina, utilising three race courses on the bay. The last day of competition outlined below indicates the medal race or medal series, with 1 to 2 additional reserve days for each class to account for any cancellations or delays due to weather (e.g., too little or too much wind).

• 28 July – 1 August: Men’s Skiff (Jim Colley & Shaun Connor)

• 28 July – 1 August: Women’s Skiff (Olivia Price & Evie Haseldine)

• 28 July – 2 August: Men’s Windsurfing (Grae Morris)

• 1 August – 6 August: Men’s One Person Dinghy (Matt Wearn)

• 1 August – 6 August: Women’s One Person Dinghy (Zoe Thomson)

• 2 August – 7 August: Mixed Dinghy (Nia Jerwood & Conor Nicholas)

• 3 August – 7 August: Mixed Multihull (Brin Liddell & Rhiannan Brown)

• 4 August – 8 August: Women’s Kite Foiling (Breiana Whitehead)