Hayling Island sailor Eilidh McIntyre and 470 class partner determined to deliver Olympics statement

Hayling Island sailor Eilidh McIntyre is aiming to defend her world title and set down a marker ahead of this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

McIntyre and 470 class partner Hannah Mills take on all their other Olympic rivals in an event which starts on Monday in Palma. Spain.

The competition will provide the pair one of their last opportunities to test themselves ahead of Tokyo.

McIntyre and Mills claimed world championship victory in 2019 on the Olympic waters of Enoshima, Japan.

Since then, they were announced among the first athletes on the Team GB team sheet for Tokyo 2020.

Then they joined forces with Joe Glanfield, the coach that took Mills to gold at Rio 2016.

While winning the world title for a second time in a row would be a huge confidence boost, it isn’t the ultimate goal.

‘The best in the world will be there and it’s going to be an amazing event,’ said Hayling Island's McIntyre.

‘It’s a good benchmark going into Tokyo but more than that, it’s a great chance to perform at a major regatta one last time before the Games.

‘Everyone always wants to be world champion, it doesn’t matter if it’s three years or three weeks before the Games.

‘But these worlds are all about preparation and performance for us.

‘We’re working with Joe Glanfield for the first time this cycle and we’re just really excited to see where we can take this team.’

Mills, 32, added: ‘We know the waters well, the competition is going to be as tough as it’s ever been and we’re looking forward to seeing where we line up.

‘I don’t think going into the regatta as defending champions changes too much – we still have to do everything that we’d normally do and do it better than anyone else.

‘Ultimately, whether we win, finish on the podium or even have a complete disaster, this event is about reviewing our performance, learning from our mistakes and taking that to Tokyo this summer.’