28 July, 2021

Snow-Hansen primed for top Olympics result

Three-time Olympian Paul Snow-Hansen was feeling confident he and 470-class yachting partner Dan Willcox would be “on the radar” for a medal as racing started this week.

The pair had been training and practicing well since arriving in Tokyo on 15 July, he told the Flagstaff from Japan on Monday night.

The sailors had taken part in a coaching regatta and were bedding in a new boat “which had gone well.”

Leading up to the Olympics, cancellation due to Covid-19, seemed a real possibility.

“It was only a week before we left that we finally thought “we’re going.”

Snow-Hansen felt safe in Japan. The sailors were based at Enoshima Yacht Harbour in Fujisawa City. “We have been vaccinated and the team is being sensible about masks and there’s lots of testing.”

The 470 is a competitive class with perhaps ten teams able to get on the podium.

“There’s a lot of experience, a really high-quality field… five or six teams have had better results than us consistently, but we won the European champs (the most recent pre-Olympic event), so that puts us on the radar.”

Snow-Hansen was disappointed his partner Sofie (who lives in Bayswater) and brother Mike (who lives in France) could not travel to Japan to watch.

“But I was quite lucky to have gone to two previous Olympics in normal times”, which meant his parents had attended.

At 30, Snow-Hansen, who grew up in Devonport and sailed out of Wakatere Boating Club, said he is unsure if it will be his last Olympics. But for the moment, was revelling in the chance to sail another regatta with Willcox.

“I’ve been sailing with Dan since 2013 and we started competing against each other when we were 12 – it’s been a long partnership and a special friendship.”

• The 470-class competition started on Wednesday this week and lasts for several days over 11 races, and includes a number of days off.