It’s often said that a change is as good as a rest and Giles Scott will certainly be hoping that is the case this week at the Finn European Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal.
The reigning Olympic champion has had his attention focused on the America’s Cup recently, where he finished third with Sir Ben Ainslie’s INEOS Team UK outfit in New Zealand.
But, on his return to Finn action for the first time in six months, Scott is now fully focused on tuning up for the Tokyo 2020 Games – starting with the event in Portugal which will see a fleet of around 50 sailors from 28 nations take part in ten races over five days.
“It’s been good getting back in the Finn after such a long break,” said Scott.
“I’ve done a couple of weeks training now with great training partners – Henry Wetherell and Ben Cornish – and it’s been brilliant.”
Scott will not be the only one returning to Finn competition, with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic meaning the regatta will be the first time the fleet has come together since September for the 2020 European Championships in Poland.
Here we go... a whole week of racing at the @Finn_Class Euros coming up! Can @GilesScott claim a fourth title? https://t.co/zwTq9YmVDi
— British Sailing Team (@BritishSailing) April 12, 2021
Joining Scott in the three-boat British contingent will be 2017 under-23 European champion Henry Wetherell, and INEOS Team UK’s Ben Cornish.
And, with the competition containing 13 of the 17 sailors so far selected for Tokyo, Scott is keen to get a sense of where his performance levels currently are in the pecking order.
“The Euros will be the first line in the sand with how my form is going into the final months before the Games so it’s a big week or so ahead,” Scott added.
“For now, we’ve been focusing on trying to shake off all the rust and get myself back into a good place to race well. As well as my own performance it will be interesting to see how the form of my Olympic competitors is.”
Photo Credit: Robert Deaves/Finn Class