Wilson, who at 22 will be the youngest British sailor at the Games, came home fourth after five days of intense competition in Cadiz, Spain.

Squires, 27, was eighth in the men’s fleet, jumping up a place from the ninth at the 2020 World Championships 14 months ago in Australia.

Strong winds and big waves pushed the international fleets to the limit over the 10-race regatta, which was won by Dutch athletes Kiran Badloe and Lilian De Geus.

Reflecting on her week, Wilson, from Christchurch in Dorset, said the regatta had focussed her mind on areas to improve heading into Tokyo 2020, now just three months away.

“After a lot waiting at the start of the week with too much wind, we got ten races in the bag in some pretty crazy conditions,” she said. “We had big swell going the opposite way to the wind so that was pretty funky. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t going into the regatta trying to win a medal, but I will take fourth for now, especially finishing second in the medal race.

“I just made too many mistakes this week and the level is so high you can’t afford to make many mistakes. It’s good to see where I’m at now though and I am looking forward to see what I can do in the next three months leading up to Tokyo.”

Echoing Wilson’s sentiments, Squires said he remains focused on doing all can between now and the start of the Olympics in late July to secure a medal for Team GB.

“It’s been a long time since the last World Championships with so much adversity,” said Squires, from Kingston Bagpuize near Oxford. “I’m super grateful for the opportunity to train hard before the regatta and prepare for what could be the last competition before the Olympics. It feels good to be well within in the top ten, but I know I have to push harder than ever to between now and the Games to get an Olympic medal.

Both Squires and Wilson will now return to the UK and train from the British Sailing Team’s performance base at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy before heading to Tokyo in June.

“The British Sailing Team has a huge amount of resource to push me to have the best preparation possible before heading to Japan, and I’ll be back in Portland in May preparing my equipment and getting my body in good shape,” Squires added.

“I’ve been dedicated to putting 100 per cent into this Tokyo Olympics and although this last year has been challenging, to be able to train and race has helped me refine what I need to do to get a medal.”

Full results from the regatta can be found here.

Courtesy of the RYA

Squires is known for excelling in strong winds, and that’s just what the 46 male and 30 female athletes have in store over the course of the five-day regatta.

The current forecast in Cadiz, Spain, suggests winds could hit more than 30 knots at times as the best of the best battle it out to go into the Olympics as world champions starting tomorrow.

“My favourite conditions are always going to be stormy high wind days, and it looks like there’s a storm on the horizon!” said Squires.

Squires and Wilson have been training in Cadiz ever since the European Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, at the start of March.

But with the rest of the British Sailing Team windsurfers already switched to the iQFOiL, the equipment for the Paris 2024 Games, both athletes have had to adapt their training plans.

For Squires this has meant joining forces with a handful of international rivals including reigning world champion Kiran Badloe from the Netherlands.
“This month I have been doing a large training block in Santa Pola, a nine-hour drive north of Cadiz, with the Dutch, Spanish, New Zealand and Norwegian lads,” said Squires, 27, from Kingston Bagpuize, Oxfordshire.

“With all British RS:X windsurfers migrating to the new iQFOiL this kind of training setup is new to me, but it’s actually been a great.

“It’s had some logistical challenges, but the tightknit ‘Dutch training bubble’ includes Kiran and some other outright legends. It’s been perfect for me to get up to speed in all conditions.

“This world championships will be the last competition before the Olympics and I’m feeling good on and off the water. It’s been a while since I’ve felt good on the water – it’s taken four years to get to a standard I feel confident with both my environment and my equipment.”

Wilson, 22, narrowly missed out on a podium spot at the European Championships last month, coming home fifth.

With Tokyo 2020 less than three months away, she is planning on making the most of the opportunity to face her international rivals one last time before heading to Japan.

“We’ve had some great training in Cadiz in some glamour conditions,” said Wilson, from Christchurch, Dorset, “but for the regatta it looks like we might get some good old British weather. That means plenty of opportunities, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. The worlds could possibly be my last competition until the Olympics so as always I will give it my all and enjoy it.”

Racing starts on Friday April 23 and will conclude on Tuesday April 27. Follow the action through the British Sailing Team social media channels.

Full results from the regatta can be found here.Full results from the regatta can be found here.

Courtesy of the RYA

The last major regatta for the British duo was back in February when they took on the RS:X World Championships in Sorrento, Australia, before COVID-19 impacted competition across the globe.

Wilson (pictured above) and Squires (pictured below) are aiming to get back into the racing groove as they look to make an impact at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in what will be both their debut at a Games and the final outing for the class before it moves to foiling.

For 21-year-old Wilson, who will be joined on the Euros start line by team-mate Alysia Gibson, it is a chance to continue learning her craft and to check in on her rivals after such a long time apart.

“My goals for the event are just to try and perform as well as possible throughout the week and keep learning ahead of Tokyo,” said Wilson, from Christchurch, Dorset. “I think it will be a fun and interesting competition with everyone coming back together after a long summer in their own countries, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Just like her competition, Wilson trained at home, but she got to see the best of British solidarity as friends and training partners came together to keep on water time at a high level.

“Training has been going pretty well. I spent all summer in Weymouth enjoying my windsurfing, doing both some foiling and some RS:X. It’s a bit of an Olympic balancing act at the moment.

“We had a really nice group of people who came and helped out with some RS:X training which was really fun, and I am really grateful for, because with the foiling now on the cards for Paris 2024 not many people want to sail the RS:X.”

Competition will be tough with world and Olympic medallists like the Netherland’s Lilian De Geus and France’s Charline Picon in attendance, but Wilson is excited just to get a bit of action under her belt.

“I’ve been in Vilamoura now since the start of October training with a nice international group and I’m looking forward to the Europeans, fingers crossed it happens and we can finish this weird year with a regatta.”

In the men’s fleet, Tom Squires is ready to do battle after a long lay-off, but not before a quick reality check.

“I haven’t raced in eight months and no idea what to expect,” said the 27-year-old from Oxford. “I’ve just done a week of racing with the Spanish and Israeli teams, who have yet to choose their Olympic representatives so their teams are super strong at the moment and pushing for every metre.

“It was a shock to the system and the body but hopefully put me into that gritty racing mindset.”

Despite the shock Squires is looking to put in to practice some real positives from his summer training after reflecting on his enforced racing hiatus.

“My sailing over the last few months has been more open minded. Normally you get in the best shape you can before each competition. Then there’s another competition. Then another.

“To take a step back and come away from a summer with an actual outcome of weeks and weeks of specific training feels really good.”

Racing begins in Vilamoura on Tuesday 24 November and culminates in medal racing on Saturday 28 November.

All results from the event can be found here