13 Canadian sailors to compete at the French Olympic Week competition in Hyères

Sarah Douglas at French Olympic Week © Sailing Energy

A total of 13 Canadian sailors will take part in the 2023 French Olympic Week competition that starts Monday in Hyères, France, and will continue until Saturday, April 29.

More than 600 competitors from around the world will take part in this event that will showcase races in the 10 Olympic classes: 470, 49er, 49erFX, Kiteboarding (men and women), ILCA 6, ILCA 7, iQFoil (men and women) and Nacra 17. Approximately 71% of the medalists from Tokyo 2020 and the 2022 World Championships will be in action in their respective classes.

Out of the 13 Canadian sailors set to compete, 11 will be fine-tuning their preparation towards various major competitions that will be coming up later this year and for which they qualified to be nominated, including the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and the 2023 Sailing World Championships - which, in turn, will both serve as quota spot qualifiers for Paris 2024 -, as well as for the 2024 Olympic Games Test Event.

Following are the Canadian sailors who will take part in the 2023 French Olympic Week competition:

49er

William Jones (Jerseyville, ON-RHYC) & Justin Barnes (Pickering, ON-RCYC)
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
-2023 Sailing World Championships
-2024 Olympic Games Test Event

49erFX

Ali Ten Hove (Kingston, ON) & Mariah Millen (Toronto, ON) - Kingston YC/RCYC
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
-2023 Sailing World Championships
-2024 Olympic Games Test Event

"We are excited to race in Hyères! It is one of our favourite venues. This regatta will be a great opportunity for our team to work on some process-oriented goals targeted for our peak events later in the season."

Antonia & Georgia Lewin-LaFrance (Chester, N.S.) - RNSYS/CYC
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-2023 Sailing World Championships

"Bonjour from Hyères! It's our first-time racing in France and we've just had incredible conditions to kick off the pre-regatta training. The vibes are very south-of-France! Wish us good luck! Process, process, process..."

ILCA 6

Sarah Douglas (Toronto, ON, ABYC)
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
-2023 Sailing World Championships
-2024 Olympic Games Test Event

"Onto the final leg of the spring season. After struggling to find my footing in the first two events, my coach and I have a solid plan on how to put together the pieces of the puzzle. I've had success at the last two events in Hyères and I look forward to this event being a World Cup now. At the same time, this regatta will continue to serve as preparation for the World Championships this summer. From there, we will take all of our learnings, and we will adjust and spend time at the 2024 venue in May and June and July before the Olympic qualifications in August."

Clara Gravely (Toronto, ON-ABYC)
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-2023 Sailing World Championships

Coralie Vittecoq (Montreal West, QC-PCYC/BLBC)
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-2023 Sailing World Championships

Kiteboarding (men)

Logan Sutherland (Toronto, ON)
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-2023 Sailing World Championships

Kiteboarding (women)

Marie-Ève Mayrand (Calgary, AB)
*Qualified to be nominated for:
-2023 Sailing World Championships
-2024 Olympic Games Test Event

"Hyères is an important competition for many Europeans. The level will be high and it is a perfect opportunity for me to gain more experience at the international level."

ILCA 7

-Ben Flower (Tobermory, ON-Tobermory YC)
-Norman Struthers (Toronto, ON-RCYC)

More information is available on Sail Canada website at www.sailing.ca.