Anna (Tunnicliffe) Tobias' last sailing gold medal for the United States was in 2008, and she has spent the past 16 years trying to change that. She had a good feeling about her chances of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Games, but she then had to deal with the national federations, where she began to get distracted. Anna details her journey so far in this letter to the United States Sailing Board of Directors.
I would like to share my thoughts and experiences from the perspective of an experienced Olympic activist. Last month, I completed my fifth and final campaign representing the United States at the Olympics.
The final months of the campaign have been marked by turmoil among leadership and coaching staffs, uncertainties over financing and logistics, and ultimately by what is widely considered the U.S. sailing team's biggest supporter and sponsor. It was overshadowed by the lawsuit against the team.
Let's talk more about this last quad. In the first part of this quad he started as a coach for the ILCA 6 team and then again took part in the sailing campaign. At that time, I saw how America One Racing's partnership with the U.S. Sailing Team could bring positive benefits to the athletes involved.
I believed the program was on the right track with sound foundations, leadership, and financial viability. We formed a team to train together to climb the international ranks and move up the level, and we did just that. Successful examples include the 49ers (men's fleet), ILCA 6, and iQFOiL.
In my opinion, other classes could and should have done better, but without consistent leadership, this would not have happened.
One of the main reasons I ignored the financial implications of stepping down as a coach and refocused on campaigning was because I believed in the process that was being put in place.
Financial support for players was finally increasing and we were working towards building a team that would train together to become one of the top teams in the world. Whichever team is represented at the 2024 Paris Games will be favorites for medals.
I truly believed in this process and believed it was the right path to get the United States back on the podium after not winning a gold medal since 2008, when I represented the United States at the Beijing Olympics.
As an experienced athlete and activist, I have spoken with the team and the majority of its athletes, and we all agree that the program is in a good direction.
However, the change in leadership was a shock to many athletes, and while the reasons for the organizational change didn't hit home for many of us, financial concerns led many to “jump ship'' so to speak. I chose to walk on this path without being shaken. , kept a low profile during the resulting fallout.
Sure, it would be great to have my name known as the last athlete to win a gold medal in sailing at the Olympics, but let's face it. It's been too long since I won that medal and this needs to change. I truly believed that under the leadership I had when I returned, this team could accomplish that.
Thankfully, America One Racing continued to believe in us and gave us the great support we needed throughout the trials. Unfortunately, I was held back by a few bad races and lost the trials, but without their support I wouldn't have even made it to the start line. It wasn't the result I was training for or wanted.
This change has been tough and distracting, but I know I'm not the only athlete saying this. The support America One Racing has given all of us athletes is incredible and exactly what we need to continue moving forward as a nation to get back on the podium at the Olympics.
Please stop the lawsuit. This is a frivolous and embarrassing sideshow for his US Sailing and its athletes who travel the world, those who compete domestically, and the weekend warriors who love spending time on the water. That is to deviate from the goal.
Let me broker peace and restore the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program to a level where my name will be in the history books. But not as America's last sailing gold medalist.
Editor's note: At the time of publication, the U.S. Sailing case is pending.
Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s 1-seater dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s 1-seater dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed two-seater dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboarding – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboarding – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed multihull – Nacra 17
Venue: Marseille, France
Date: July 28th – August 9th
detail:
• Paris website: https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-olympic-games-paris-2024/
• World Sailing Microsite: https://paris2024.sailing.org/
