The sailing duo Helene Næss and Marie Rønningen spent NOK 100,000 on a new trainer – Olympics Paris 2024

– It was quite the knife to the throat. It was “make it or break it”. If we didn’t want to meet the Olympic requirement, we would probably give up. We thought “now everything is at stake”. Helene Næss says so to news. She makes up one half of Norway’s sailing duo together with Marie Rønningen. For the duo who will be sailing in the 49er FX class in the azure waters outside Marseille, it was a tough fight to get to the Olympics. – I guess none of us slept much that week and we had little appetite. We really felt the pressure, says Næss. The Norwegian duo is currently in ninth place in the Olympic competition, which consists of twelve sailings and a final medal sailing. The duo was defeated in the first Olympic sailing in 49er Monday in the FX class in Marseille. HEADWIND: The Olympics were about to go bad, then the Norwegian sailing duo had to take action. Photo: Sailing Energy / Handout – Now it’s all in For after the first qualifying round for the Games, everything had gone well and they led the qualifiers, but then the wind turned. The WC was a failure with a 15th place and they were currently without an Olympic place. Again there was one chance: European Championships. – It was one point and one last decisive competition. We took some big steps and hired some experts with the money we had left and said: “now it’s all in”, says Rønningen. The duo said they struggled to bring out the potential they knew they had inside. They toiled especially hard in strong winds – when the other boats were rushing off guard. That is why they chose to take drastic action, at least if you look at it through financial lenses. In the run-up to the EC, which was their last chance to get to the Olympics, they decided to hire one of the most sought-after trainers for the sailing circus. Got the formula for success on a piece of paper Ian Barker, who himself can point to an Olympic silver in sailing, can almost be referred to as a wizard within the sport of sailing. He has converted boats from sinkers to rockets. Now it was the Norwegian duo’s turn to be taken under the wing of the Briton. – A lot is about setting up the boat according to the wind conditions we encounter at sea, says Næss. THE SECRET: On this sheet are all the instructions Helene Næss and Marie Rønningen need to sail as fast as possible, depending on the wind conditions. Photo: Marie Rønningen For the formula for success, they have simply received the nod from coach Barker. On a laminated piece of paper, it says how much the sail mast must be tightened and bent if the wind is blowing, for example, at ten knots. Then the sail must catch as much wind as possible based on the conditions. – There are very small nuances. We haven’t cracked the code in a lot of wind before, but with his help he has made us sail faster in a lot of wind, says Næss. In the past, the successful coach Barker has also helped the Swiss women’s and men’s national team. Similar “miracles” have also been performed there by Barker. With his help, they sail into the Olympics with greater self-confidence than ever before. – Before, we could look at the weather report and think that it was not to our advantage if it was very windy. Now we are competitive whether it’s windy or not, says Rønningen. IN A TAILWIND: Helene Næss and Marie Rønningen are number five in the world rankings before the Olympics. Photo: Thomas Guttormsen – It’s worth it The price of the magical trainer was NOK 100,000. It was paid for out of pocket. Afterwards, they received support both from the club to take part of the bill and support players. – We felt we had gotten a bit stuck. So we think it helped a lot, and we still have him, says Rønningen. The help they received before the important EC competition ensured victory and with it also a ticket to the Olympics. During the games in Tokyo, the duo even finished in 7th place. Now they hope that the new coach will ensure more speed in Marseille. – It costs money, but when it gives them results, I think it’s worth it, says Rønningen. Here are all the goodies you must take with you from the Olympics in Paris (or Marseille, where Næss and Rønningen will sail): Published 30.07.2024, at 06.05 Updated 30.07.2024, at 07.47



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