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For Veerle ten Have, the build-up to one of the most important regattas of her career so far has been a mix of old and new.
The 23-year-old Tauranga sailor, New Zealand's leading female windfoiler, continues her push for Olympic selection at the iQFOiL world championships in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands next week.
She is one of four Kiwis competing at the worlds from Monday, with Josh Armit, Thomas Crook and Eli Liefting lining up in the 119-board men's division.
It's ten Have's first top-level event in almost six months, following the combined world championships in The Hague last August.
She has come to know Lanzarote well recently, having spent several weeks in the Spanish city last year. She has also changed coaches but, says ten Have, not much has changed in her preparation for the first of two selection events for the 2024 Olympic Games.
"Not a whole lot of new stuff - just doing the usual grind," ten Have says when asked what she has been working on over the Kiwi summer. "I spent a couple of weeks in Lanzarote in November, training with the girls who were hanging out there. December and January were a mix of training back in New Zealand, and now I'm here in Lanza getting everything set for the final push."
Veerle ten Have won bronze at the Princess Sofia Regatta last year. Photos / Sailing Energy
Ten Have teamed up with Paul Snow-Hansen late last year, who along with Dan Willcox finished fourth in the men's 470 at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Snow-Hansen has since established himself as one of the country's leading competitors in the rapidly growing wingfoil class. Though "winging" has some similarities to windfoiling, his recent Olympic experience has been most valuable, ten Have says.
"Things have been solid since Snowy joined the team. We've been collaborating a lot more with the youth team to help bring them up to speed but also to help push me a bit more," she said.
"His experience brings in some useful perspectives, and it's been really exciting."
Ten Have had mixed fortunes last year, starting the international season with a bronze medal at the Princess Sofia Regatta in April and narrowly missing out on the podium at the Olympic test event in Marseille in July.
She finished deeper in the fleet at the iQFOiL European championships in Patras and The Hague, though her 22nd place overall at the latter was good enough to secure New Zealand an entry in the class for the Games.
Her focus now turns to ensuring she wears the black bib in Marseille in July.
"I've been putting in the work and now it's just about going out there, racing hard and having fun."
For more information on the 2024 iQFOiL world championships, click here.
