Interview - Hannah Mills
Leading legend HANNAH MILLS chats to Georgie Corlett-Pitt about teaming up with annah Mills needs little introduction. Gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo added to gold from Rio 2016, and silver from London 2012, to cement her position as a household legend. It is the greatest-ever achievement by a female sailor, and adds to a long list of impressive titles, including numerous world championship wins. Most recently, Hannah was voted World Sailor of the Year (alongside her Tokyo 470 crew Eilidh McIntyre) and received an OBE in the New Years Honours. Now she is about to give everything to her next chapter. Working closely with Sir Ben Ainslie on a number of programmes, she
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MAY 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting
has a jam-packed year ahead. Top of the list is sailing on board with Ben as part of the Great Britain SailGP crew. The move isn’t exactly new - Hannah began sailing with the team in April 2021 during Season 2 of SailGP. She was one of the very first sailors involved with the innovative Women’s Perfromance Pathway, which SailGP introduced to ‘accelerate inclusion within the sport and inspire change’. The initiative enables elite female sailors to gain experience in sailing the cutting edge F50 – one-design catamarans which are easily capable of 50+ knots thanks to their foils, wingsails and other tech developed for the 35th America’s Cup. But what was a trial to involve female sailors last year has been
ABOVE
Hannah says it's an exciting time for women in sailing, both at pro and amateur level
BELOW
SailGP returns to Plymouth in July the event will be a highlight for Hannah
stepped up for this year, and Hannah is delighted that she will be a key part of the British team going into Season 3. New rules mean that each crew must include at least one female athlete, with the possibility that number will increase as the season progresses - the ultimate aim being a dedicated all-female competition dovetailing into the main league. It would be a huge milestone, but SailGP is founded on innovation, and inclusivity is at the core of its operations, so the ambition comes as little surprise. Having been training with the British team as part of a squad of female sailors to date, Hannah is brimming with enthusiasm as she says: “This is the first full season
PHOTOS BOB MARTIN/JONATHON NACKSTRAND/SAILGP
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Sir Ben Ainslie ahead of SailGP's third season
