GB’s Wilson ‘done with the sport’ after windsurfing bronze

Windsurfer Emma Wilson says she is “done with the sport” after coming away with bronze in the women’s IQFoil event.

The 25-year-old was guaranteed Great Britain’s first sailing medal at the Paris Olympics after dominating the opening series off the Marseille coast.

But she had to settle for bronze in the final as Italy’s Marta Maggetti won gold and Israel’s Sharon Kantor took silver.

Wilson had finished well clear at the top of the standings after winning eight of the 14 preliminary races, coming outside the top three just once, but was third in the one-off final.

Windsurfing and the new Olympic sport of kitesurfing are the only sailing classes to adopt a winner-takes-all medal race.

At last year’s World Championships in Lanzarote, Wilson won 15 of the 20 opening races, but finished with silver behind Kantor in the final.

“I think it’s obvious I’m at a disadvantage, and I think they [sailing officials] should think about it, and think about people’s mental health as well,” Wilson said after the event.

“It’s not OK to put people in this position every time. I had a 60-point lead at the World Championships and a 30-point lead here.

“I don’t know how many times you can come back. I think I’m done with the sport.”

It is Wilson’s second Olympic medal having also won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games in the RS:X event, which has been replaced by IQFoil.

Wilson slumped on to her board in disappointment at the finish, having been unable to reproduce her fine form from the preliminary races.

That secured a bye to the final by finishing top of the standings, while Kantor and Maggetti went through to the semi-final after being second and third respectively.

The duo progressed to the medal race from a semi-final which was staged over the same course less than half an hour before the final.

Wilson started well, holding a narrow advantage at the first and second marks, before Maggetti charged from third place to lead around marks three and four.

The Italian then held off Kantor to the finish to claim her first Olympic medal, having been fourth at Tokyo.

“I just made a mistake on the lay line,” added Wilson, referring to the calculation required to reach the next mark, or buoy, in the quickest time.

“I hadn’t done a race yet and all these girls knew where the lay line was.

“I’m really happy for her [Maggetti] but I’m just not sure I can keep putting myself through that format.”