Sailor: future still golden (From Kingston Guardian)

Sailor: future still golden

2:30pm Wednesday 25th August 2004

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Croydon may not spring to mind as an obvious training ground for an Olympic sailor, but it has proved to be for British hopeful Katherine Hopson.

At 22, she is the youngest member of the British sailing squad in Athens, and while she did not realise her dream of winning a gold medal this time round, Katherine, along with her sailing partner Christina Bassadone, finished seventh out of the 20-strong field in the 470 dinghy class.

It was a remarkable achievement for the pair, who teamed up 18 months ago, as they faced tough racing conditions on the waters of the Saronic Gulf and competition from more experienced crews.

Katherine, who was born in Croydon, first took to the water at the age of nine, learning to sail in her dad's Fireball dinghy. But she only started racing competitively four years ago.

Before deciding to sail in the 470 class she competed in the 29er dinghy, becoming the ladies champion in 2000.

A year later Katherine was selected by the Royal Yachting Association to take part in the 420 class and she won the ladies title at the Tiger Trophy, a prestigious UK event.

The Southampton University student then paired up with fellow student Christina in the 470 class.

The 470 is a highly technical boat, which has the ability to plane' through the water, an action similar to a powerboat.

The dinghy has three sails and a trapeze, which allows Katherine to lean out of the boat on a wire to counteract the force of the sails and keep the boat upright.

Katherine, who divides her time between her home in Dorking and Southampton, admits that winning an Olympic gold is her greatest ambition.

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