Sailing: British team announced for first ever Women's America's Cup
- Published
Saskia Clark (left) and Hannah Mills won gold in the 470 class for GB at Rio 2016, but will not have raced together again until the Women's America's Cup in Barcelona in September
The British sailors seeking to make history at the inaugural Women's America's Cup have been announced.
The 12-strong squad - also covering the Youth America's Cup - have previously won six Olympic and 22 World Championship medals between them.
Hannah Mills will reunite with Saskia Clark for the first time since they won gold in the 470 class at Rio 2016.
The events will take place alongside the 37th America's Cup in Barcelona, in September and October this year.
The Athena Pathway team was co-founded by Olympic champions Mills and Ben Ainslie in 2022 to fast-track promising sailors and increase diversity in the sport.
More than 300 sailors applied to be part of the squad before 18 months of trials, both on water and using simulators, to see if they were up to the challenge of sailing the high-tech AC40s which will be used in the women's and youth regattas.
The team will use the Athena Pathway AC40 boat, which can sail at speeds of up to 100km/h (62 mph)
Clark said: "Very excited is an understatement. Hannah and I had a great Olympic career together and I'm looking forward to reuniting, taking all the learnings from our Olympic experiences and applying them into a broader team environment in a new class of boat."
Other athletes chosen include Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Anna Burnet, who is set to represent Great Britain at this summer's Paris 2024 Games.
Ellie Aldridge, Saskia Tidey and Freya Black are also selected in both the Olympics and the America's Cup squads while the other Athena Pathway picks are Nick Robins, Hannah Diamond, Matt Beck, Alex Hughes, James Grummett and Hattie Rogers.
Mills said: "It's great to see the level of talent coming through. Athena Pathway is focused on supporting and developing this talent both on and off the water - with the longer-term aim of inspiring the next generation.
"This is an incredible milestone for our sport. These athletes represent a new era of inclusivity and excellence in competitive sailing."
"We couldn't be prouder of what Athena Pathway stands for - giving youth and female sailors more opportunity in our sport," Ainslie added.
"We have selected a high-calibre squad and to have someone like Hannah leading them on and off the water is incredibly inspiring. We will certainly be setting our expectations high."