Hannah Snellgrove: Folk singer, Cambridge graduate and Paris 2024 Olympian

The sailor estimates that it has been 26 years since she first got into a boat and 17 years since she decided “it would be nice to go to the Olympics one day.” In a diary from her youth, she even made a written commitment to take part in the Olympics.

One could not blame Snellgrove for feeling several times in recent years that her chance of achieving this goal was as good as over.

She’s not a fan of the word “journey,” but her journey has been full of twists and turns. The 33-year-old’s first Olympic cycle took her to London 2012, when she interrupted a year of her studies at Cambridge University to be selected, but gave way to Alison Young.

Young was again chosen to race in Tokyo after Snellgrove had previously crowdfunded a boat to launch her comeback following her retirement from the British sailing program in 2014.

A decade after her lowest point in the sport, the Lymington star will now represent Team GB in the ILCA 6 class at the 2024 Games in Marseille in August.

“It is the culmination of 15 years of hard work, not only from me but from many people who have helped along the way,” she said.

“Ever since I found out I was leaving, I’ve been having flashbacks to all these random moments along the way where friends, family and people I barely know have helped me in completely different ways.

“It’s so humbling, and it’s a combination of all these acts of human kindness and hard work.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s special to me because I know it’s special to a lot of people I really care about. It’s a real team effort.”

Snellgrove insisted on sharing the good news via video call with those closest to her so she could witness their reactions. Amid the screams, tears and cheers came another unexpected reaction.

“Someone, whose name shall remain anonymous, said, ‘That made me so upset that I have to pee now!'” she said. “I personally really liked that.”

“Everyone is really excited. People have been there for me throughout the whole process, witnessing the ups and downs first hand and being there to pick up the pieces when things went downhill.”

Snellgrove makes no secret of the difficult times she has been through. She suffered from the Epstein-Barr virus as a teenager, “blew all her savings” while self-funding her career after leaving the squad, and had to recover from a serious back injury just as her form was peaking in 2022.

She credits her time outside the sailing bubble as key to her economic recovery after returning to the water. A job at a local newspaper and her role as one half of folk duo Bimbling helped shape the more settled character who now heads to sea.

I’m looking forward to more summer nights full of music 🎶 ☀️

Next gig at The Kings Arms Wareham, Friday 12 May, 7-10pm 🤩

Song: Plough & Orion by @SkinnyLister 🥰 pic.twitter.com/dIis9Xau3D

— Bimbling (@bimblingfolk) May 4, 2023

“I saw that there was life after sailing and I was quite happy in that life,” she said.

“It’s become a kind of superpower. Last year there were moments when I had a small disaster at a regatta, but I was able to recover and keep a cool head.

“I spent a lot of time out of the water in 2022, which was a real shame as I had performed really well earlier in the year.

“And then I started to wonder if I would ever compete again, let alone compete in the Olympics. I was not in good shape physically or mentally.

“When you feel like everything is slipping away because of an injury, it’s really tough, but we got through it and learned to love the sport again.

“It’s easy to lose sight of why you’re doing it: because you love sailing. Remembering that is very important and the team around me helped me do that.”

📍 Next stop: @Paris2024
🚆 Departure: July 2024

Introducing our ten-strong sailing team, the first athletes to be officially named on Team Great Britain’s squad for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

@BritishSailing

— TeamGB (@TeamGB) October 11, 2023

Armed with a fresh sense of perspective, Snellgrove – who will be accompanied by her travel guitar Petunia to the south of France in August – qualified Team GB for an Olympic quota place at last year’s World Championships and will now hold it.

Snellgrove is one of over 1,000 elite athletes taking part in UK Sport’s World Class National Lottery-funded programme, which provides them with full-time training, access to the world’s best coaches and ground-breaking medical care. He is determined to ensure that the joy and relief of being selected is balanced by seizing the opportunity when it presents itself.

“In this cycle, I caught a glimpse of the sailor I always wanted to be. I didn’t realize that before,” she said.

“There were signs of it in the 2023 season, several top-five finishes, wins in big races, I could feel it coming back after my injury. If you focus on it, you can gain that confidence.

“The selection means a lot to me and I have to enjoy this moment. Now it’s about refocusing and trying to deliver the best possible performance in the games.”

Sports beat 2024