Sailor hannah Mills confirmed her of races we knew we could do well,” said family’s talent by winning the British 29er
potential as one of the most likely 20-year-old Mills, who won the World Girls championships for the second year with Tom
future Welsh olympic medallists Optimist title in 2003 and the World Ladies Humphreys.
by winning the junior world 420 in 2006.
championships. There was also more sailing success for
“Because we knew it would be close at the Wales with 14-year-old Hannah Tilley won
Britain ’s sailing team is so successful that end of the week, we just concentrated on the Topper Junior World Championship in
simply getting into it is hard enough, but Mills finishing as high up the fleet as we could in Ireland .
has been fast-tracked with 2012 in mind. every race. I don’t think we expected to win
seven races in a row though!” Racing against much older boys and girls
Cardiff ’s Mills and partner Katrina Hughes Tilley, from Llandenny near Usk, was second
held their nerve in style to sail to 2008 Mills has long been marked out as an girl and in 21 st place overall, as well as being
Women’s 470 Junior World Championship Olympic sailor of the future and paired up the top junior girl.
gold in Poland . with 19-year-old crew Hughes from Essex .
“Hannah Mills is from South Wales and came
The victory marks Skandia Team GBR The 470 class is the double-handed dinghy through the Optimists boat, as I did, so I
Development Squad duo Mills and Hughes sailed by both men and women at the really admire her and would love to follow
out as real contenders for the 2012 London Olympic Games. To have been eligible for the her,” said Tilley, who comes from a sailing
Olympics – they were the class act of the 470 Junior World Championships, all sailors family and first competed in the Nationals at
regatta posting seven back-to-back wins from must be under 22 on 31 December 2008. the age of nine.
races five to 11.
Mills was not the only Welsh sailor to have “Eventually I would hope to move up into the
The pair had just returned from China been out in Qingdao for the Olympics sailing, Olympic Development squad with 2016 or
where they were training with the full GB Anglesey’s Eifion Mon and Cardiff’s David later as my main aim.”
Olympic squad. Evans were also out there with the British
team on a scheme to prepare them for Welsh Yachting Association director of Sailing
Mills and Hughes claimed the overall title future Olympics. Tim Hall hailed the victories by the pair.
by 14 points from their nearest rivals in the
Olympic class boat, Tara Pacheco and Berta Evans confirmed he will push hard for a place “These are all fantastic achievements, but the
Betanzos from Spain , with Mills steering the in 2012 by finishing second in the Sail for two Hannah’s have shown that Welsh girls
pair to a second place in the final race to Gold regatta in Weymouth. are capable of being World Class sailors,” said
clinch the title. hall.
Eifion Mon’s younger
“At the start of the event we brother Bleddyn “Welsh Sailing are keen to support females
didn’t really know what to underlined the in the sport - it is one of the only sports
expect but after a couple in which males and females can compete
together on a level playing field . . . or water!”
sailing
annah Mills
words hamish stuart
h
hannah hEavEn
SW
29
sportingwales
issue4twothousand&eight
SW_Issue4.indd 29 9/10/08 15:33:04
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52