Olympics-Sailing-Dutch sailor Bouwmeester realises gold and dream of women's record

Paris 2024 Olympics - Sailing - Women's Dinghy - Marseille Marina, Marseille, France - August 05, 2024. Marit Bouwmeester of Netherlands celebrates. /Lisi Niesner

MARSEILLE, France - Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands effectively secured gold in the women's dinghy to became the most successful woman in Olympic sailing on Monday, after building an unassailable lead.

"It feels incredible, because as a youngster, one time ... they said: 'you're not good enough' and that was when I said 'I am going to be the best of all time'," said the 36-year-old.

"I always chased that dream," Bouwmeester said, adding that she was only 16 when she made it her mission.

The Dutch sailor stood on her dinghy, arms aloft, to celebrate after flag signals from officials confirmed racing was over for the day, handing Bouwmeester victory in the series.

"It is a bit of a relief maybe. Of course you want to fight for it because that's what you want as an athlete, but what a tough day," Bouwmeester said of the moment she knew she had won, adding that she was not sure if this would be her last Olympics.

Bouwmeester must compete in the medal race on Tuesday to be confirmed as champion and the most successful woman in Olympic sailing with two golds, a silver and a bronze, overhauling Britain's Hannah Mills, who has two golds and a silver.

"Of course it's great to have titles, but I'm genuinely so happy for Marit for her unbelievable performance for this Olympics and all the others, as well as being a brilliant Mumma and just all round awesome person," Mills said when asked for her reaction to Bouwmeester's achievement.

"The more female athletes in our sport and others that are achieving incredible things the better," Mills told Reuters.

On her voyage to realising her dream, Bouwmeester won gold in 2016, silver in 2012 and bronze in Tokyo. At this Games, she brought her two-year-old daughter with her.

"I've done enough for now. I'm going to go back to the family and get some rest," she said of her immediate plans, thanking them for the support they had given her as she juggles the demands of an Olympic campaign.

"Sometimes I felt I did them short because in sailing you have to travel a lot and it's quite tough. So I'm very happy at least that we get to bring home the gold medal," she added.

There were wild celebrations among Dutch supporters as the Netherlands has already won gold in the women's skiff and bronze in the men's windsurfing.

Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindom, Bouwmeester's closest rival in Marseille and the Tokyo Olympic champion, secured silver.

"It's huge just to get to an Olympic Games, and be here for the fourth time and secure a medal, it's amazing," the 33-year-old said, adding that Bouwmeester had performed really well.

"Hat's off, she definitely did the job," Rindom added.

The women dinghy sailors have had to navigate delays, abandoned races, strong winds and intense heat.

Frustrating wind shifts meant one painfully slow race for the 43 sailors, but Monday's result was enough for Bouwmeester to come out top, despite her worst performance of the series.

"We have a saying in Norwegian: 'the eldest are still the eldest', it's all about the experience in this fleet," Norway's Line Flem Hoest, 28, who is lying in third place going into Tuesday's medal race, told Reuters.

"It's an honour to be able to race with them, to be able to compete with them on some days and it's well deserved for both of them," she said of Bouwmeester and Rindom.