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By Hannah Blackwell
Chris Grube believes he can finally achieve his ambition of an Olympic medal after the Welsh sailor was confirmed as part of the Great Britain team for Paris.
Grube and Vita Heathcote will compete for Team GB in the mixed dinghy class at the Games, the British Olympic Association have confirmed.
Heathcote will be the youngest sailor in the Team GB line-up aged just 22, while Grube, 39, will make his third appearance for Team GB having competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 with Luke Patience.
The pair only joined forces eight months ago but last month scooped a silver medal at the 470 class World Championship in Palma, Mallorca, securing a quota place for Team GB and earning themselves athlete selection.
Heathcote will have big shoes to fill, picking up the mantle from Tokyo 2020 Welsh gold medallist Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre.
Team GB has a rich history in the class, which until now was split into men’s and women’s fleets.
https://twitter.com/CyclopsMarine/status/1765416115100938577?s=20
Since the class was introduced to the Olympics in 1988 Team GB has won four silver medals in the men’s fleet, and two golds and a silver in the women’s.
The change to a mixed fleet, brought in for Paris 2024, opened the door for Grube to make a comeback to the class he’s competed in for two decades.
“In the run-up to the 2023 World Championships Vita needed a crew, and I was available,” said Grube, who grew up in Bala and who’s been sailing professionally since Tokyo 2020.
“Vita and I have worked tirelessly over the last six months. It’s a late campaign for us but coming second at the World Championships last month showed our capability.
“It means a huge amount to be going to the Games for a third time.
“I’ve had 20 years in this boat, and it’s always been my dream to win an Olympic medal. I’ve been to two Games and finished fifth at both, but I’m excited about what we can do this time round.”
We are delighted that Vita Heathcote & Chris Grube have claimed silver in the 470 World Championships, and in doing so have secured Team GB an Olympic qualifying place for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Follow their journey via the link below:https://t.co/4JQRyDaHW5 pic.twitter.com/ju3wBiEddr
— Cecil Wright (@CWPyachts) March 4, 2024
Mark England, Team GB Chef de Mission, said: “Following their fantastic silver at the recent World Championships I am delighted to welcome Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube to Team GB for Paris 2024.
“It is great to have Chris back in an Olympic boat for his third Games and I am sure his Olympic experience will make for a strong pairing alongside Vita who is making her Olympic debut this summer.”
Mark Robinson, RYA Performance Director and Team GB sailing team leader, added: “In Vita and Chris we have a proven winner at international youth level and an experienced Olympian, who after less than a year together have proven through their recent results that they are capable of continuing Team GB’s sailing legacy.
Heathcote and Grube are the 12th and 13th sailors to be picked for Team GB at Paris 2024, leaving only one spot, in the men’s kite discipline, still to fill.
The sailors selected for Paris 2024 are:
John Gimson and Anna Burnet – Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17)
James Peters and Fynn Sterritt – Men’s Skiff (49er)
Freya Black and Saskia Tidey – Women’s Skiff (49erFX)
Emma Wilson – Women’s Windsurfing (iQFOiL)
Sam Sills – Men’s Windsurfing (iQFOiL)
Ellie Aldridge – Women’s Kite (Formula Kite)
Michael Beckett – Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 7)
Hannah Snellgrove – Women’s Dinghy (ILCA 6)
Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube – Mixed Dinghy (470)
