24/05/2026
Europeans 2026 ✅ P15
This regatta felt like two halves.
The first half: After a couple of weeks training in Portimão, I felt ready. The first two days were solid. Of course, it came with challenges. late nights in protest rooms that didn’t make recovery ideal , but we pushed through. If anything, it fuelled a fire in me.
The second half: Three races in a row, my position was good but things outside my control got in the way. Mooring lines in the water, fish, seaweed. They say bad luck comes in threes, so maybe that was mine. Tough pill to swallow but no point dwelling on it.
The final day, I tried to fight, but I couldn’t piece it together. Poor starts and missed opportunities meant I wasn’t putting myself in the best position to succeed.
But nothing is wasted. Not the hard days or the ones that almost break you.
They all become proof that you keep fighting anyway. That’s the reality of an athlete. And maybe that’s the point.
It’s never about how smooth the path is but what we learn on the way.
Continuously grateful for the people standing beside me and supporting me. we’ll be back stronger for the next one 💪🔥
Now it’s home for a few weeks before heading to LA to begin the build toward Worlds later this year.
P.S. — The protest rooms sound more dramatic than they were. I just seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up there twice. Both were resolved with either redress or dismissal.
aotearoa
