Sussex sailor Saxton satisfied following first taste of Olympic action

Itchenor Sailing Club member Ben Saxton was happy following his first-ever day at an Olympics yesterday.
Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves in Olympic actionBen Saxton and Nicola Groves in Olympic action
Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves in Olympic action

Saxton and partner Nicola Groves, who are the first British pair to compete in the Nacra 17 competition, ended a successful maiden day of racing in silver medal position in Rio.

The twosome picked up third and fifth place finishes from their two races today, as the new catamaran class became the first mandatory combined male and female Olympic sailing competition.

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Following his first day of Games racing, Saxton admitted he was pleased with both his and Groves’ effort.

He said: “We are happy with how we sailed today. I was just excited to actually sail at an Olympics and I was ready to get going, it’s cool.

“This is what we dream of, racing the best people in the world at the most important events is why we do this.

“The first start wasn’t good but we just had to accept where we were. We went round the first mark with only a couple of boats behind us, but after that we picked off a couple in each leg and then it was good.”

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The pair continue their medal quest with more racing today, before one-off races for gold, silver and bronze are set to be contested on Tuesday.

To follow Saxton and Groves’ fortunes at Rio 2016 visitwww.rya.org.uk/Rio2016, follow @BritishSailing on Twitter and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/britishsailingteam

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