Halfway mark on the Road to Tokyo 2020 for Sarah Douglas
Nov 22, 2018
The “Road to Tokyo 2020” is often categorized into a 4-year campaign towards the Olympics. At the beginning of the “quad”, Sarah Douglas and her coach planned the four-year lead up to the Olympics. They looked at their end goal and worked backwards from there: deciding year by year what goals they need to reach to achieve the ultimate goal of a medal at the Olympics.
With the 2020 Olympics fast approaching, Sarah has just passed the halfway point in her campaign. “This past summer, I qualified Canada in the Laser Radial class for Tokyo 2020 and placed 6th at the 2018 World Sailing Championships. Country qualification is the first step in getting to the Olympics. With only one representative per country, I will compete in the trials process established by Sail Canada.
“I have achieved all my goals that I set out when I started my campaign in 2016, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been bumps in the road and obstacles to overcome. The biggest obstacle is the financial cost of competing at the top level. The travel and equipment costs increase exponentially as we get closer to the Olympics. With limited financial support from Sail Canada, I have to do additional fundraising to support my campaign. That is what I have done with the help of friends, family and Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club. We have hosted successful fundraisers but there is always a need for additional financial support. With support from Sail Canada and a whole community behind me, it truly does take a village.
“Moving forward from here, my program continues to evolve as I move towards the Olympics. It has become evident that time spent in Japan before the Olympics is crucial. There is a lot to learn about the venue and being prepared to compete in a hot Japanese summer. Additionally, I require more time in Europe training and competing with the top athletes in the Laser Radial. In 2019 I will be spending around 160 days on the road and this will be increased in 2020. It is starting to become ‘crunch’ time as the opening of the 2020 Olympic Games will be here before we know it.”
We will be tracking Sarah’s further progress in 2019 as she starts on the regatta circuit in January. The major events she has targeted in 2019 are several World Cup events (US, Europe and Japan), the European championships in Portugal, the World Championships in Japan and the Pan Am Games in Peru.
Subscribe to Sarah’s monthly newsletter, learn more about her and how you can support her Olympic Campaign; go to her website: www.sarahdouglassailing.com
