Olympic ambition runs deep for Howth Radial sailor Aoife Hopkins. After the controversially cut short Olympic trial last year, the 22-year-old is back in her ILCA 6 dinghy and en route this weekend to the Vilamoura International Regatta in Portugal.
Her ongoing efforts have received a ’fair wind’ from Mercedes-Benz. The car manufacturer has renewed its ongoing support for the talented helmswoman who must now have an eye on Paris 2024 after the disappointment of Tokyo?
Hopkins is a former Women’s Laser Radial Irish national champion and under-21 European champion titleholder.
The UCD financial maths student says she will be training with Tokyo nominated Annalise Murphy (also sponsored by Mercedes) in the lead up to the Games now less than 100 days away.
It's a tricky time on the Olympic circuit as the Radial Europeans, Worlds and the important Princesa Sofia Palma have all been postponed to October due to COVID so there won’t be much racing but there is still th option of the Allianz regatta in the Netherlands in June, Hopkins told Afloat.
Both Murphy and Hopkins clubmate Eve McMahon are also entered for Vilamoura next week but there is no sign of Tipperary sailor Aisling Keller, the sailor who won the nation place for Ireland in Tokyo back in 2019.