Name: Saskia Clark
Date of birth: 23/8/79, Age 32
Event: Sailing
Career highlight: Finishing sixth in the Beijing Olympics with former partner Christina Bassadone
Did you know? Saskia started sailing by herself at the tender age of 8
‘Saskia Clark’ may not be a household name, but it might be inadvisable to bet against that changing, since she is undoubtedly one of the most in-form members of Team GB.
Forming a two-man crew with partner Hannah Mills, Clark is to represent the United Kingdom in the Women’s 470 Class; the vessel – a dinghy, which, as its name suggests, has a hull 470 centimetres in length and a beam (width) of 169cm.
Before 2012, Clark found herself the eternal bridesmaid on the sailing circuit, starting in 1996, missing out on qualification for the Atlanta, Sydney and Athens Olympics. However, in 2005, things began to change, when, partnered by fellow Briton Christina Bassadone, she achieved her first major medal, winning silver at the San Francisco World Champions and the pair followed this up with a bronze in the 2007 Championships in Cascais, Portugal.
Then, in 2008, Clark took a significant step in her career, when she qualified for the Olympics for the first time, although she failed to come in the medals. However, neither her desire nor resilience were to suffer too great a setback, as, in 2011, sailing with current partner, Hannah Mills, the British pair claimed silver in the Perth World Championships. Then, in May this year, they went one better – seizing gold in Barcelona.
So, in light of the fact that Clark is apparently peaking at just the right time, there will naturally be a certain optimism following her and partner Mills into the games. However, whether or not this expectation will prove beneficial or detrimental to their performances on the biggest stage remains to be seen.