WATCHING Ellie Aldridge secure a famous kitesurfing gold at Paris 2024 has made sailor James Foster eager to experience Olympic glory himself down the line.

In what was Team GB’s only sailing gold of the Games, Aldridge stole the headlines by overcoming home favourite Lauriane Nolot to jump to the top of the podium.

The Poole mariner, a recent graduate of the University of Southampton, harbours similar dreams of success on sailing’s biggest stage, with Foster targeting a place at either LA 2028 or Brisbane 2032.

And after just missing out on a second consecutive ILCA7 crown at the 2024 National Championships in Weymouth to place second, he is willing to put the work in to reach the pinnacle.

“The medal race with Ellie Aldridge certainly does make me want to be there,” he said. “Ellie’s gold was particularly inspiring.

“In sailing, most people end up being slightly older. I’m 21 at the moment, so I’m targeting either LA or Brisbane.

“I just finished university so it depends how quickly I progress. I can’t predict that very easily. I’d love to go to LA, but more realistically, it’s Brisbane.”

Foster is one of 50 athletes supported by Pitching In as part of its long-standing partnership with SportsAid, providing crucial financial support as well as offering development opportunities through workshops and visits.

He is aiming for for the very top but is aware of the stiff competition that exists within British sailing.

And while he is ready to put it all on the line to live out his Olympic dream, he admits that the competition is not the be all and end all in the sport he loves.

“It's not unrealistic [to compete at LA 2028] but I've just got to beat a few very good people,” he said. “We've got a lot of very good sailors in my class in this country and you only get to take one, so I've got to beat all of them.

“My plan is just to sail and work harder and smarter, particularly smarter than the rest of them to overtake them.

“But it's not all about that. There's a lot of camaraderie and we would be a terrible country if we only had one sailor.

“The fact that we've got so many good sailors is the reason that we're a good sailing nation.”

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.