Anna Burnet, 31, is an Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion in mixed multihull sailing.
In 2020, she and her partner John Gimson won the Nacra 17 World Championship. They were then picked for Britain’s Olympic sailing team. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Burnet and Gimson claimed the silver medal in their event.
Team Great Britain‘s sailors, John Gimson and Anna Burnet, have qualified to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Anna Burnet Qualified for 2024 Paris Olympics
John Gimson and Anna Burnet have been qualified to sail for Team Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two won the silver medal together at the 2020 Tokyo Games and now want to reach the top step of the podium in Paris.
“I think the most controllable way we can do that is just working as hard as we can for next year so we turn up in France with the best package possible.”
said Gimson
The sailor from Leicester John Gimson is set on turning his and Burnet’s silver into gold in 2024. The Narca 17 pair claimed the silver medal in sailing at the Tokyo Games. They then secured their Paris qualification by finishing second at the 2022 World Championships. The sailing venue in Marseille has very different conditions than Tokyo. So Gimson, aged 40, and 31-year-old Burnet are preparing to better their results. This includes practicing alongside the Italian duo that defeated them for the gold medal in Tokyo.
33-year-old Hannah Snellgrove, who has won three national titles, will compete in the women’s single-handed dinghy event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which take place from July 26th to August 11th. She is the seventh first-time Olympian named to the British sailing team.
“It’s the biggest honor to be selected and I would love to stand on the podium at the Games.”
said Snellgrove.
Team Great Britain has won 64 total Olympic sailing medals, including 31 golds – more than any other nation.
“It’s been quite the 26-year project since first setting foot in a boat, and I think it would be fair to say I’ve taken the scenic route.”
Snellgrove added.
TOKYO 2020 SILVER MEDALLIST BACK FOR A SHOT AT GOLD
Anna Burnet is excited to have a second chance at winning Olympic gold together with her sailing partner John Gimson. The two were picked to compete for Team Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Games.
Burnet and Gimson won the silver medal in the Nacra 17 catamaran class at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They then secured their selection for Paris by taking another silver at the 2022 World Championships.
Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024 (Team GB): Meet Sailor John Gimson
The sailing venue in Marseille is expected to have very different wind and water conditions compared to Tokyo. So the 40-year-old Gimson and 31-year-old Burnet are doing everything possible to improve on their prior Olympic result.
“We’re both just really looking forward to the honor of having another opportunity of competing at another Olympic Games, something we’ve both dreamt about since we were kids.“I can’t imagine if someone told me that one day we would be going to two Olympic Games, it’s been crazy so we’re excited.”
Burnet said
Anna Burnet Family Life and her Education
Anna Meryl Burnet was born on September 27, 1992 in Hammersmith, England. She earned a degree in Sports Studies from Southampton University.
Her mother is named Louise Burnet. Her younger sister Fiona Alexandra Burnet was born on October 10, 1996. Fiona is a field hockey forward player from Scotland.
Fiona Burnet was raised in Helensburgh, Scotland and is also an eco-athlete. She first played for the Scottish national team in 2014 against Germany and was named to Scotland’s 2022 Commonwealth Games squad.
Anna’s father nurtured her early passion for sailing, as did her uncle Sir Peter Blake who inspired her. Former Olympian Joe Glanfield coached Anna as a teenager and helped her set long-term goals, like trying for one Olympics then focusing to win medals at a later one.
As a youth, Anna became the national girl’s Optimist class champion. She then moved up to the 420 class and eventually the Olympic 470 class boats.
Anna Burnet’s Career
Early Career
After teaming up with John Gimson in 2016 to sail the Nacra 17 catamaran, Anna Burnet followed consistent strong performances leading into Tokyo with an Olympic silver medal at the 2020 Games.
Burnet’s love of sailing began as a young member of the Northern & Clyde Yacht Club in Britain. She won a 420 national title before moving up to the Olympic 470 class, where she won junior world championship silver and bronze medals in 2012 and 2013.
Burnet and Gimson capped an exceptional day for British Olympic sailing in Tokyo by winning silver in their event after teammates Stuart Bithell, Dylan Fletcher and Giles Scott had already collected gold medals earlier that day.
Professional Career
Burnet represented Great Britain with her partner John Gimson in the Nacra 17 class at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This aligned with the long-term plans she and Gimson had set.
In early 2020, they won the World Championship held in Australia. Due to bushfire smoke, they had to wear protective masks while training there. Later that year, they were selected for Britain’s Olympic sailing squad first over rivals Nicola Boniface and Ben Saxton.
The Tokyo Games were then postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the sailing competition finally started, Burnet and Gimson raced at Enoshima alongside their Italian training partners Tita and Banti. Burnet and Gimson finished second behind the Italians to claim the silver medal.
