Weymouth windsurfer Tom Squires to compete in Tokyo Olympics
Weymouth Olympian Tom Squires is asking us all to keep our fingers crossed
Last updated 10th Jul 2021
A Weymouth-based Olympian has arrived in Tokyo to compete in the Olympic Games later this month.
Windsurfer Tom Squires moved down to Weymouth in his late teenage years to pursue a career in the sport.
Weymouth is home to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, which hosted the sailing and windsurfing events for the 2012 Olympics.
Tom told Greatest Hits Radio Dorset:
"Weymouth has a legacy of Olympic sailing because the Games.
"The stand out sailing that you have here is just incredible. We have probably the most breeze on the south coast, because the wind funnels between Portland and Weymouth.
"So we have good breeze, it's nice and safe, it's in a huge harbour. So it's stand-out sailing."
Tom told Greatest Hits Radio Dorset he ditched his Horticulture apprenticeship in favour of following his windsurfing dream down here in Weymouth.
"My parents are from South Oxfordshire. I used to commute down. My parents used to drive me down every weekend to train here.
"When I was about 17 I wanted to be full-time so I tried to save up as much money as I could while I was working as an apprentice to get a driving license together and then go full-time windsurfing down in Weymouth."
It's his first time competing in the Olympics. Tom was Olympic medalist Nick Dempsey's training partner for the 2016 games.
Tom ideal conditions are a light breeze while he's windsurfing, something he says is a possibility while he's out there. The games take place between Tokyo's rainy season in June/ July and the rainy season in August/ September.
Tom said coronavirus has made the logistics of training a lot more difficult.
"It's been a long time coming. It's been the longest journey of my life, but then this last three months has gone by so quickly. It's been a real change in the pace of life.
"There's been a bit of anxiety around all the testing, all the track and trace stuff, trying not to get COVID. To train, to get abroad, the added costs. It's made me change my game, I need to be on it with everything.
"It's been really tricky to plan it all out."
The Olympic games commence on Friday 23rd July and finish on Sunday 8th August 2021.