Olympic gold medallist chosen for America's Cup bid

A former Olympic gold medallist has been selected as part of Great Britain's renewed bid to win the America's Cup.

Dylan Fletcher, who learned to sail at Northampton Sailing Club and won gold in the men's 49er class at the Olympic games in Tokyo, will be the helm for GB1.

It will be the sailor's second time in the British team, having also competed in the 2024 campaign where Team INEOS Britannia was beaten by New Zealand in the final, which took place in Barcelona.

"I feel so proud to represent Great Britain," said Fletcher, speaking to BBC Northampton.

"But ultimately [2024] only added fuel to the fire of wanting to go further and taking the title off the Kiwis and bring it back to the UK."

The America's Cup is the oldest competition in international sailing and is regarded as one of the sport's most prestigious events.

First held in 1851, it traditionally features a race between two yachts.

The 38th edition of the competition will be held in 2027 and will include several changes to the racing format.

All teams will take part in both match racing, where two crews go head to head, and fleet racing, where all yachts compete together on the course.

The top four challengers will then progress to knockout semi-finals.

Fletcher said his role in the upcoming competition was more focused on performance and speed.

"I have an easier job this time - I'll sit on one side of the yacht and have the steering wheel," he said.

"I just try to point us in the right direction and make us go fast," he said.

Although the event is still more than a year away, Fletcher said the preparation was already intense.

He is currently working with yacht designers to find ways to improve the vessel's speed.

"Every week we're looking at how to knock a couple of seconds off that race time and just chip down at making the boat faster. That's what it's all about," he added.

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