Sam Sills at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Where was it held?

All of the sailing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was held at Marseille Marina and the windsurfing competition ran from the 28th July to 3rd August.

How does it all work?

Windsurfing at the 2024 Olympic games took on a whole new format, with Tokyo's RS:X board being replaced with the quicker, more exciting iQFOiL board (which apparently doesn't require as much wind – more on this later!).

The competition started with the Opening Series, a whopping 20 races of three different formats – sprint slalom, course racing and marathon. At the end of each race, the windsurfers are given points corresponding to where they finish and the aim is to get as few points as possible. The two worst scores for each athlete are wiped (we're not sure why).

At the end of the Opening Series, the top 10 athletes go through to the Medal Series, with the top windsurfer going straight through to the final, and the second and third going straight to the semi-final.

Yes, it was a little hard to follow…

So, how did he do?

Day 1 – 28th July

34ºC and absolutely no wind

We excitedly boarded the bus to the Marina at the Vieux Port, not knowing what to expect. When we arrived at the park it was buzzing, packed full of fans hoping for an exhilarating day of racing.

The park itself was pretty basic but there were plenty of things to see and do including replicas of the board and boats that were going to be sailing, games on the beach, boards to hire, and of course the obligatory gift shop. We also didn't miss the chance to take our photo in front of the famous Olympic rings!

It was just as well there was plenty to do, because although the iQFOiL boards perform better than previous versions with less wind, there wasn't enough to kick things off and none of the windsurfing was able to start. So no races on day one.

Day 2 – 29th July

34ºC and a tiny bit of wind

We were dubious about the wind so before we headed to the Marina we visited the Notre Dame de la Garde. The basilica stands high above the city and offers stunning 360º views of the oldest city in France – an absolute must-see if you're headed to Marseille.

The wind just didn't pick up but the men did manage to get one race in the bag. Unfortunately it wasn't Sam's day, he finished 21st but still had a smile on his face.

Day 3 – 30th July

34ºC and a lot of wind

The action came fast and furious on day 3. The wind had finally arrived and the men managed to get in all 5 of their scheduled races.

From the shore we could at last see the raw speed of the iQFOiL boards, and the whole crowd were on the edge of their seats (despite being blasted in the face by dust all day).

Sam had a fantastic day, with 4 out of 5 of his finishes in the top 10. We caught up with him briefly at the end of the session and he was absolutely buzzing.

Day 4 – 31st July

35ºC and a lot of wind

Another great day for racing. 4 races took place and Sam finished in the top 10 in 3 of them.

Day 5 – 1st August

36ºC and a bit of wind

The last day of the Opening Series – whoever was in the top 10 today was going through to the next round. Another 2 top 10 finishes from the 3 races for Sam meant he finished in 8th place overall, going through to the Medal Series.

Day 6 – 2nd August

36ºC and absolutely no wind

A scorching day at Marseille Marina, but sadly no wind which meant that finals day was postponed to the 3rd.

Day 7 – 3rd August

34ºC and it's finals day!

Quarter-final

Sam made a bold choice and went a different route to the other 6 windsurfers. At first it didn't look like the right decision, but approaching the last mark he was in 3rd, and closing in fast on the Italian, Nicolo Renna. Everyone held their breath as he managed to squeeze through, beating him to the mark and zooming through to the finish. His 2nd place finish meant he went through to the semi-final.

Semi-final

Making another tactical decision, Sam decided on the same route as his quarter-final race. It was working well initially, but the wind just wasn't in his favour and by the time he got back on track the others were too far ahead to catch – he finished in 4th.

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Overall Sam finished 5th, which is an absolutely fantastic achievement. We're super proud of how he did and we can't wait to see what he does next – we'll be behind him all the way!

Sam's results

Opening series
Date	Race number	Type	Position
29th	1	Downwind Slalom with Port Start	21st
30th	2	Downwind Slalom with Starboard Start	6th
30th	3	Downwind Slalom with Starboard Start	9th
30th	4	Downwind Slalom with Starboard Start	7th
30th	5	Windward/Leeward 2 Laps Finish to Starboard	16th
30th	6	Windward/Leeward 2 Laps Finish to Starboard	6th
31st	7	Downwind Slalom with Starboard Start	7th
31st	8	Downwind Slalom with Port Start	9th
31st	9	Downwind Slalom with Port Start	4th
31st	10	Downwind Slalom with Port Start	15th
1st	11	Windward/Leeward 2 Laps Finish to Starboard	7th
1st	12	Windward/Leeward 2 Laps Finish to Starboard	6th
1st	13	Downwind Slalom with Port Start	12th
Medal series
Date	Race number	Type	Position
3rd	Quarter-final	Medal Course with a Port Start	2nd
3rd	Semi-final	Medal Course with a Port Start	4th