You hear about it a lot, the perfect blend of youth and experience - Chris Grube and Vita Heathcote might just have it.
Old hand Grube, 39, came out of retirement to join forces with the fresh-faced Heathcote, 22, just last year.
Only two competitions, and a World silver, later the pair have been selected to compete for Team GB in the mixed 470 at this summer’s Olympic Games.
“It is so exciting [to be going to the Olympics],” Heathcote, who will be making her Olympic debut, said.
“I’ve always believed in it because that is what drives you on and that’s why you do it.
“To be a step closer to the real deal is very rewarding, you know that the work you put in is worth it and is going somewhere.”
For Grube, the feeling is mutual but the route to those emotions are very different.
The Chester-born sailor called time on his Olympic career after a second consecutive fifth-place finish in the men’s 470 alongside Luke Patience at Tokyo 2020.
Competing at Paris was not even a consideration until Heathcote coaxed him out of retirement, during which he was definitely not putting his feet up.
Grube competes in professional sailing alongside his Olympic exploits and became J/70 world champion last year.
His will to win has never waned but whether he could still do it in the 470 was something he did ask himself.
He said: “I officially retired after the last one in Tokyo and I'd gone my separate ways from 470 sailing and I started my pro career.
“Whenever you step away from something it is very hard to know whether you've made the right decision coming back.
“And, obviously, I'm not as young as I used to be and there's been moments where I've had self-doubt. Am I really making the right decision?
“And ultimately, this has given me a real confidence boost that Vita and I are on the right trajectory.
“It's great to go to the Olympics, it is one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my life.
“But ultimately, you go there to win and to medal and I've been twice and I've come fifth twice.
“So, for me, it's all about coming back to medal, I have worked my whole career towards that one thing and that's still what it's all about.”
Chasing an Olympic medal goes hand in hand with sacrifice, Grube was speaking having just waved goodbye to his wife at the airport.
He was preparing to jet off to Miami for another professional race having won world silver in Mallorca not even 24 hours earlier.
That world medal marked a watershed moment for the duo and proved that a promising 13th place finish at the previous World Championships in 2023 was just the beginning.
The waters have been a little rough since then with injury and illness preventing the pair from competing together again until the 2024 World Championships.
Heathcote added: “It was always going to be a challenge with being able to get time training together because of what Chris does.
“He's a dad and he's got jobs pro sailing which he needs to do to support his family.
“And in with that ties a lot of illness and exhaustion and injury just because we're both pushing ourselves very hard to try and keep the wheels on the bus.
“Since we did the worlds together last year, that's been a big challenge for us and at times it was quite hard to get through while still feeling like you're going the right way.
“It shows that what we have done has been really effective and we're a good team, we blend well together, we race well together in the boat, and we complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.”
There is a 17-year age gap between Heathcote and Grube, and in 15 of those years, Grube has competed at a World Championships.
“That was a massive realisation for me,” Heathcote said. “Knowing that he'd done this 15 times.
“I know he's so solid in his sailing but mostly mentally. He knows how to deal with the pressure at the World Championships or any big event.
“He's a constant, he's there, I can rely on that, and that goes well with my energy and attitude as well.
“We really aligned on that and it's just so great to have a very solid experienced person there doing it with me.”
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