Thad Lettsome became the first BVI athlete to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as he completed the first day of racing in the Men’s Dinghy ILCA7 on August 1 in Marseille, France.
Lettsome closed out the first day with a total of 78 points for a 40/43 position.
Launching his ILCA7 at 12:30pm, Thad made his way to the start line for race 1 of 2. Finishing overall position 40/43, Lettsome said of the first race, “I felt race 1 was a sub-par start, which just made it hard the whole first part upwind, but there were moments where I was in the mix. I made a wrong decision halfway up the first beat, which put me from in the middle towards the back and, from there, you’re just fighting the whole time.”
Lettsome went on to climb a couple of spots for a 38th place in race 2 after an incredible 11th place in rounding the first mark.
“I did what I wanted to do and stuck to my plan and started on the right side and went out to the right side and was in a really good position to round the top mark,” said Lettsome. “But I got sucked into the mix on the downwind with a foul at the bottom mark, where we got shut out and I wasn’t able to round the mark – even though I had the right of way – and it just launched me to the back of the fleet, so I’m pretty upset about that.”
Lettsome rounded the 2nd mark in position 21 and in position 38 around the final marks. On racing in the top 12 of the fleet upwind to the first mark, Lettsome said, “It shows that I can do it, but I just have to work on some little things and a couple of decisions, because the group ahead of me was just that further ahead and they didn’t end up in the mix that I did. I knew I was doing well so I am encouraged to hear that I was 11th rounding the mark and plan to do it again tomorrow.”
Watching the racing from the venue at Plage de Prado, Team Leader Tamsin Rand explained that sailing in the lead pack – at times in 8th and 9th position – was no mean feat.
“Thad’s still young and he’s racing against much more experienced sailors, so to make it up in the top of the fleet and sustain the position rounding the mark is really quite remarkable,” said Rand. “It’s all about making the right decisions in these races. He’ll be going over today’s race with Coach Chris Watters and reviewing his tactical decisions to make adjustments in his next events.”
Lettsome competes in ILCA7 races 3 and 4 on Friday, August 2 with further twice-daily races on August 3, 4 and 5. The medal race takes place on August 6. The race schedule and results can be found on Paris 2024.sailing.org.
Lettsome, who was a Flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony, is the first BVI sailing Olympian to compete at an Olympic Games since 1996.
Track and field events for the VI athletes take place at the Stade de France in Paris and start on August 3 when Brathwaite will compete in the 100m rounds starting at 5:45am AST. Hodge will take to the blocks in the 200m rounds on August 4 starting at 4:55am AST. McMaster competes in the 400m hurdles heats on August 5 starting at 4:05am AST.
Approximately 10,500 participants from over 200 Olympic Delegations will compete in 32 Olympic sports. The Games can be followed live on SportsMax Channels.
“With medals in mind, the BVIOC is seeking to boost the monthly stipend for the 6 athletes on our roster identified as likely to make the team for Paris 2024 which takes place this summer July 26 – August 11,” said BVIOC and BVI Commonwealth Games Association President Ephraim Penn. “The annual sum for the programme has already been allocated and we are very grateful for the sponsors that have come on board this year to help with the additional funds required by the athletes to continue to cover the services of their respective coaches and therapists over the next five months.”
Explaining more about the scholarship programme, BVIOC/BVICGA Treasurer Mark Chapman said, “The THSEAS stipend contributes to training and coaching, athlete support including access to sports medicine, physical therapy, performance analysis, nutrition counselling, and mental resilience training. These resources are critical in helping athletes reach their full potential and achieve success at the international level. Our reporting system for the grants ensures accountability and transparency in the distribution of funds.”
CTL has committed to supporting the THSEAS programme for four years with an annual sponsorship of $10,000. Mr. David Thomas, Operations Manager speaking at the media briefing said, “Clarence Thomas Ltd has always been at the forefront in trying to help any development that happens in our country. We believe in supporting and assisting where we can in the development of our future stars. We are in a unique position right now with our current world class athletes with more coming up so it wasn’t difficult for us to come on board and help.”
Conyers has contributed $10,000 to the programme for the road to Paris 2024 with an option to renew the commitment thereafter. Mark Forte, Managing Partner and Head of Litigation and Restructuring for Conyers said, “As a major employer within the community we believe strongly in supporting various initiatives in the community and are attracted to programmes that help develop, address the future and aspirations of talent. We identify with the notions of perseverance, commitment, achievement, dedication and no short cuts so we are proud to play a part and congratulate all those involved in the [THSEAS] programme. We wish all the best to our athletes and look forward to watching them strive in Paris – it’s not all about winning but it’s about development of the individual, the team, the community, and the country is the most important thing.”
