A lot of work has been done in Olympic sailing over the last few years to achieve gender parity, a balanced number of male and female athletes. What has your experience been as an Olympic athlete? And more generally, how do you perceive the issue of gender equality in the world of sailing which, for most people, is still often seen as a predominantly male sport?
I’m pleased that there’s gender parity in the Olympic classes even though, outside of that, inequalities still exist. In some physically demanding roles it’s true that a man may be stronger, but a properly trained woman can achieve similar performance. In roles where tactics or agility matter more, you’re competing on an equal footing regardless of gender, and the years of experience are particularly important.
Why do you think there are so many athletes from skiffs in the current America's Cup and SailGP, both men and women?
The racing we see today is different from the past, it’s faster, on higher performance boats, exactly like the skiff: very fast, where you make very quick decisions and you need to be certain of your choices, because every manoeuvre is fundamental to optimise speed. This logic, which is very important on skiffs, is the same logic that we find in the America's Cup and SailGP, where making rapid decisions is fundamental.
Have you thought about a move to the Nacra17 in the future?
I'm actually very interested in kite foiling, which is very fast and solo. I would love the challenge of getting back on a single-handed craft, this time a board.
Any ambitions to join a SailGP or America's Cup team?
Definitely, but the priority at the moment is the next Olympics. If I could combine a project like that with training for the 49er it would be great.