Hannah Mills chasing Olympic gold one more time at Tokyo 2020 after delaying retirement

World and Olympic sailing champion faced a difficult decision after the Tokyo Games were postponed

Hannah Mills with her gold medal at the Rio Olympics (Getty Images)

The temptation of the Tokyo Games pushed Hannah Mills’ retirement plans back, but digging deep one last time wasn’t an easy decision for the Olympic sailing champion.

Mills planned to bow out following this summer’s planned Games, but when Tokyo 2020 became Tokyo 2021, the 470 champion from Rio suddenly had a tough choice to make.

For some, it would be a no-brainer to carry on. Others would stick to their original plan. As for the 32-year-old, she was somewhere in the middle.

“I’d be lying if I said the question of ‘can I do another year?’ didn’t cross my mind,” she said. “As a slightly older athlete, you do question it. Physically, another year can be quite a big deal.

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“There’s also the mental process you have to go through to get yourself in the right place to perform. It’s really challenging and draining and takes a lot out of me. You put everything else in your life on the backburner in those six to eight months before an Olympic Games.

“Every day you wake up with that butterfly feeling in your stomach knowing it’s a day closer.

“There were definite questions about whether I could do it again, but ultimately training to be part of an Olympic Games is such an amazing thing.

“It’s just such a cool thing and so that feeling didn’t last too long.

“There was definitely a bit of relief that it wasn’t cancelled, but mostly there was just shock. Growing up, the Olympics is just something that never moves. Everything you do is for this one week in four years.

“It took me a good few weeks to rationalise it all in my mind and reframe it into something really positive, which I was able to do with the support of the British Sailing Team. I feel incredibly lucky.”

Having scooped silver in London followed by gold in Rio, both with Saskia Clark, Mills knows what it takes to win at the top level.

Indeed further glory could see her become the most successful Olympic female sailor of all time.

But chasing history is not in the Cardiff sailor’s psyche, even if her World Championship-winning partnership with Eilidh McIntyre is already causing a splash.

“It would be amazing and such a cool achievement. There are a couple of female sailors who can do that at the next Olympics,” she added. “Every now and then I think about it, but ultimately that’s not my main driver. I try to put it to the back of my mind and not let it distract me.

“Something the team is very good at is sharing that knowledge of Olympic Games. Everyone always tries to say it’s just another competition, do your normal routines and don’t get fazed. It is another normal competition – but actually it’s not.

“To normalise that is really important, so we definitely talk about that a lot – what to expect and what it will feel like.”

Form has gone out of the window thanks to the pandemic, but with Mills and McIntyre already knowing what it takes to win, the pair – already selected by Team GB for Tokyo – are enjoying the position they’re in.

Mills added: “It was so great being out in Japan in 2019. We were there for about five weeks, won the World Championships and came second in the Olympic test event about a week later.

“It was a great experience and a huge eye-opener as to some of the challenges we will face at the Olympics – the main one for us being the heat.”

Through her life, Mills has spent lots of time training at Plas Menai, The National Outdoor Centre in Caernarfon, which was this week renamed The Ken Newing National Outdoor Centre for a day in honour of a local sailing volunteer who worked tirelessly during the pandemic.

With the support of National Lottery Funding, Ken ensured sailing enthusiasts could still access the sport virtually or otherwise and enjoy the many physical and mental benefits it provides.

“This year has been such a challenging year for so many people and sport is often found at the heart of communities,” added Mills. “Sport can often help support us at challenging times as it’s such a community thing.

“It’s so important that people helping at grassroots level keep going through these challenging times and it’s inspirational.

“It’s incredible what Ken has done at his local sailing club in North Wales, it’s fantastic to see.

“Keeping people active and outdoors is vital – if nothing else, we’ve learned this year the outdoors is free to go and explore and feel connected with.

“It’s a fantastic campaign and I’m really proud to be a part of it.”

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