Irish sailor Saskia Tidey has confirmed that she has started training with Team GB with the intention of representing Britain at the 2020 Olympics.
Tidey sailed for Ireland alongside partner Andrea Brewster at the recent Rio Games and has now linked up with Charlotte Dobson to compete in the 49er FX event.
Tidey and Brewster sailed at their maiden Olympics last summer, finishing 12th overall, unlucky to miss out on the medal race in Brazil, however, Brewster has recently announced her retirement, which has resulted in Tidey making the move across the water.
Sad day leaving Irish 49 er FX Sailing.Thankful to @ISA_Performance for helping me become the sailor I am today #newchapter #newchallenge
— Saskia Tidey (@SaskiaTidey) January 6, 2017
“There wasn’t an option here in Ireland in the 49er FX with another girl who had the experience to sail at the same level that I had finished up at [in Rio], to be competitive and win a medal in 2020,” said Tidey, in Friday’s Irish Times.
“The 49er FX is a very specific boat and it takes a vast amount of time and commitment, full-time commitment, to even get to the level we got to.
“Once a class becomes established, experience counts more than anything else.”
Dobson also raced in Rio, finishing eighth in the same class, sailing for Britain alongside Sophie Ainsworth.
“It’s not been easy personally for me,” continued Tidey. “I’m so proud to be Irish, I will always be Irish, and I absolutely couldn’t have been prouder to represent Ireland at Rio 2016.
“I’m grateful for what has happened, but now [am looking forward to] four years of 100 per cent focus on performance.”
Tidey qualifies to race for Britain through her father.
“It’s regrettable that Saskia has decided to pursue her sailing career with another country but, that said, the ISA wish her the best of luck with her future endeavours,” said ISA performance director James O’Callaghan.
“She’s a good example of what can be achieved from a managed programme as she came up through the academy and, along with Andrea Brewster, put in a fantastic performance at the Rio Olympics. We were hoping to build on that, but it’s not to be.”
