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The standings from the Nacra 17 class at the Tokyo Olympics will say Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson finished 12th overall but it doesn't come close to telling the full story.
Most of the 19-strong fleet will be able to point to ifs, buts and maybes, and Wilkinson and Dawson could cite a very big one if they wanted. But they don't.
In fact, they refuse to use Dawson's fractured leg five weeks before competition started as an excuse, or the lack of training going into the regatta, or the fact they opened their campaign in challenging conditions.
"We are a little disappointed in our results, but what can we do?" Dawson reflected.
They will debrief their entire campaign and look at what they could have done better because improvement is what they will search for to get themselves in a position to be challenging for a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"It’s amazing walking away from a tough event but we are even more motivated than we were going into it," Wilkinson said. "We have got even closer as a team through the adversity of this event and the adversity of the last few months. I think we are both pretty keen to kick on from here and push hard."
It's why Wilkinson was in the team's makeshift gym this morning, lifting weights alongside Laser sailor Sam Meech. Top athletes can rarely sit still but, as far as Wilkinson and Dawson are concerned, the countdown to Paris has already started.
The pair have made huge strides since teaming up a couple of years ago, and finished seventh at last year's Nacra 17 world championships. They also displayed good form in some training regattas in Europe prior to Dawson's injury and were flirting with the frontrunners for long periods on the final day of Nacra qualification before a couple of costly mistakes ruined their chances of top-three finishes.
"We came out firing yesterday and showed we can be up there," Dawson said. "It gives us more motivation for the future. We had really good speed and had learned from previous mistakes from the regatta."
Alongside for all of the ups and the downs, including plucking Dawson from the water when she took the full impact of the foiling catamaran's rudder, was Jo Aleh. The two-time Olympics medallist often referred to her two sailors as her 'kids' and she rode every tack, gybe and, occasionally, capsize with Wilkinson and Dawson.
But the fact they got to Enoshima was something of a triumph and Wilkinson was full of admiration for his crew.
"Erica has done an amazing job to be here," he said. "She’s a really tough chick. The leg in the end wasn’t an excuse for us. We were fast, Erica was back to 100 [percent]. She did an amazing job getting here and didn’t complain once during the regatta.
"I’m really proud of her and our coach, Jo. It must have been painful for Jo yesterday watching but we were pushing hard. We stayed strong as a team and gained some points back where we could. We can walk away with our heads held high even after such a tough day."
They'll hope to limit those if they earn selection in three years' time.
- Pic: Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson finished 12th in the Nacra 17 at the Olympics. Photo: Sailing Energy / World Sailing.
