It is not unusual for Olympic champions to pig out after reaching the pinnacle of their sport. But shortly after writing her name in the history books by becoming the first Olympic gold medallist in kitesurfing, Britain’s Ellie Aldridge insisted pizza parties and cheeseburgers were going to be off the menu. In fact, food in general suddenly paled into insignificance. “I can’t wait to not have to eat food now,” she declared.
In kitesurfing, more weight means more rapid speed. At 5ft 8in, Aldridge’s natural body weight is in the region of 60kg. But an intense training regime and carefully planned diet designed to pack on lean muscle means her competition weight at the Olympics is nearer 70kg.
And at the Marseille Marina, Aldridge was one of the slighter competitors among the fleet – and even had a smaller sized kite – but she punched above her weight and powered through unpredictable winds to storm to Britain’s first sailing gold of the Paris Olympics.
It was a dominant day for the Dorset sailor, who got off to a flying start after winning two races in the final series on Thursday. The world silver medallist had been tied 2-2 with France’s Lauriane Nolot but edged out her main rival in a thrilling winner-takes-all decider after the Frenchwoman flopped into the water on the first approach to the top buoy.
It marked a historic achievement for the 27-year-old, who showcased some of Britain’s finest kite flying since Mary Poppins. This sport, a new addition to the Olympic programme this year, is the fastest of any event in the Games and sees competitors fly above the water at lightning speeds on hydrofoils attached to boards, which are turbocharged by massive kites. For women competitors, it is harder than it looks, owing to a lack of female friendly equipment.
The Paris Olympics might claim to be the most gender-equal Games in history, with the same number of medal opportunities for men and women, but Aldridge and her competitors still very much live in a man’s world.
Battle to handle heavy equipment
“We can change kites whenever we want, but we also use the same equipment as the guys use. And they’re all 100 kilos, and they’re designed for the guys,” explained Aldridge. “It’s become pretty obvious in recent years that the heavier you are, the bigger the kite you can hold down, and the faster you’ll go. Everyone’s been trying to put on a bit of weight when they can and it’s become just part of the fleet really and part of the sport. It’s definitely been the hardest part of my journey.”
Body image securities are nothing new in the world of female elite sport – Aldridge herself has spoken about her reluctance to eat excessively to maintain her heavier frame, albeit strategically, in order to compete at the highest level.
“It’s not about eating as much as you can, it’s about eating the right things at the right time,” said Aldridge, who remained optimistic that the sport would introduce female-sized equipment. “I definitely have learned a lot about that, a lot about nutrition, when to eat, and just about myself. It’s been amazing. It’s just lots of protein shakes and things. The times when you don’t think about eating, you’ve got to eat. So, as soon as you get off the water, you’ve got to eat enough food to refuel your body before you start getting tired or start fatiguing more so it’s just about maintaining everything and using whatever food works with your body.”
‘I knew that I had to race slightly differently’
But it is not just about weight – the size of your kite plays an equally crucial role. Competitors have a choice of kite size, depending on weather conditions, and can switch kites during the racing. Aldridge made the plucky decision to opt for a smaller kite, measuring 15 metres, some six metres less than her rivals.
She was rewarded for her daring endeavour as she closed out a dominant victory in which she led from start to finish. Her status as Olympic champion was secured after Nolot – who had beaten her to gold at back-to-back World Championships – plunged into the sea midway through and never recovered.
“I knew that I had to race slightly differently to them in order to get around them because the big kite is going to be faster downwind and the smaller kite is going to be faster outwind,” said Aldridge. “So when Lauriane rounded ahead of me in the first race on the leeward mark, going upwind, I knew that was my only time to overtake her. And I just about managed to get on the inside and get in front of her with enough space behind me to keep a gap for the downwind. After that I was kind of pumped and I felt good.”
