John Gimson and Anna Burnet are Team GB's sailing lovebirds - winning silver in Tokyo was 'unreal' but gold is the target at the Paris Olympics while wedding preparations are put on hold, writes NIK SIMON

Sitting beside their edifice excavation successful Marseille, h2o arsenic still arsenic nan windless Mediterranean Sea, John Gimson and Anna Burnet are discussing their biggest rivals for gold. The Italians.

‘They’re invited to our wedding,’ says Burnet, speech tacking from nan Olympics to their nautical emotion story. Team GB’s mixed multihull brace will necktie nan knot successful Scotland adjacent period but this is nary mean romance.

Sailing was their first love. They teamed up 8 years ago, comparative strangers astatine nan time, riding waves crossed nan world successful pursuit of their Olympic dream. Their emotion for each different followed.

‘We started retired arsenic a sailing team,’ explains Gimson. ‘Our first title together was successful 2016. I had conscionable mislaid nan tests for Rio and it was my past chance, really. I sailed pinch tons of different group but erstwhile I sewage connected nan h2o pinch Anna it conscionable clicked.

‘Covid happened successful nan build-up to Tokyo and we were successful a bubble together. We were surviving successful an Airbnb successful Weymouth, past we moved to Italy and trained successful Sicily. We were spending much and much clip together and we conscionable sewage person and closer.’

A brace who spell astir their business quietly, their blossoming narration remained private. ‘No 1 really knew,’ says Burnet, ‘or astatine slightest that’s what we thought.’ With 1 infinitesimal of elation, opinionated connected nan Olympic podium successful 2021 pinch their metallic medals, that each changed.

‘There were nary spectators successful Tokyo but we had plentifulness of sailing friends there,’ adds Burnet. ‘When we were connected nan podium nan Argentinians started chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”. John turned to maine and said, “Well, we amended had then”. So that’s erstwhile I gave in!’

She adds: ‘Winning that badge was unreal. The weight of your world conscionable lifts disconnected your shoulders. There was truthful overmuch happiness but besides utter relief. That adjacent greeting was nan first clip ever that I felt for illustration I don’t request to do thing else. I’ve ne'er felt truthful light. It was amazing.’

Gold went to nan Italians but nan narration pinch their rivals thrived.

‘We walk much clip pinch them than pinch our family,’ says Burnet. We train together. We spell for meal together. We push each different difficult but arsenic soon arsenic we’re connected nan shore, they’re conscionable for illustration friends.’

Weather permitting, they will statesman competing connected Saturday successful nan five-day mixed multihull title connected nan Cote d’Azur. It is simply a spectacular setting, penned successful by melodramatic mountainscapes, astatine nan mercy of nan elements. The fickle breeze has been chased retired of nan bay this week truthful they are prepared for precocious changes to nan schedule.

‘Obviously we’d emotion to triumph golden here,’ says Gimson. ‘My metallic badge lives connected nan bedside array and is rather a bully information to aftermath up too. Anna keeps hers successful nan sock drawer.

‘A golden badge is nan dream but we’re very realistic. It’s a difficult venue, owed to nan topography of nan bay. In Tokyo, it was a very cleanable upwind coming from nan water and everyone had an moreover magnitude of wind, truthful whoever did nan champion occupation of sailing wins nan race. 

'Here nan upwind comes consecutive disconnected nan statement onto nan racecourse astatine different angles. It’s coming complete mountains and cliffs and swirling each complete nan place, truthful it’s very difficult to read. There’s much luck progressive present than location was successful Tokyo.’

In elemental terms, nan darker patches of h2o are nan saccharine spots. Gimson’s domiciled successful nan double enactment is strategies and steering, while Burnet trims nan sails and acts arsenic formation controller of nan hydrofoil. It is simply a trade they person been mastering since their childhood.

‘We person wholly different backgrounds,’ says Burnet. ‘John grew up successful Cheshire, sailing connected a small lake. I’m from a family that has ever sailed retired astatine Gairloch, fundamentally connected nan Clyde Estuary, half an hr from Glasgow.

‘When I was a wee woman astatine schoolhouse I wanted to spell to nan Olympics, successful immoderate sport. I was bully astatine nan 800 metres and erstwhile we were 12 1 of my friends wrote maine an acceptance reside for winning golden connected nan track. She ever said I person to mention her, truthful if we triumph golden present I’ll springiness her a shout-out!’

Sailing is successful Burnet’s blood. A tear rolls down her look arsenic she talks astir her uncle, Sir Peter Blake. He was a New Zealand yachtsman who held nan world grounds for sailing astir nan world, earlier being murdered by modern-day pirates successful 2001.

‘I ne'er really talk astir it,’ says Burnet, sadness written into her face, arsenic her lips quiver. ‘My mum’s sister, aunty Pippa, was joined to Peter. He won 2 America’s Cups, nan round-the-world title and was a really beardown environmentalist.

‘He was travelling to different places astir nan world by boat, sending backmost messages astir what was happening pinch nan environment. When he was successful nan Amazon, he was killed by pirates. 

'The pirates boarded nan yacht to bargain things and Peter was defending his crewmates. It happened erstwhile I was astatine superior school. It was evidently really sad for nan family but he was a fable successful sailing. Sailing’s portion our lives and my uncle has been a monolithic inspiration.’

Over nan adjacent fewer days, she is hoping to build connected nan family’s bequest connected nan waves. As for wedding planning, that will person to wait. ‘That’s parked while we’re retired here,’ says Burnet, focussed afloat connected her duel pinch nan Italians et al. ‘My mum’s organised beautiful overmuch everything, truthful we’ll conscionable person to spot what happens.’