Anna Burnet is back on the rise in Marseille Paris 2024 Olympic Games test event

Olympic silver medallist Anna Burnet was overjoyed after a blazing comeback at the Olympic Sailing Test Event in Marseille added a brilliant bronze to her stacked CV.

The 30-year-old from Hammersmith, London, finished third in the Nacra 17 alongside team-mate and fellow Olympic medallist John Gimson in France.

The pair battled to get back into medal contention after mixed results throughout the week, locked in an intense battle within the medal race and coming out on top against a tough German boat.

“I’m really happy,” she said. “We had left ourselves with a lot to do heading into the medal race, we didn’t have the best of weeks by any means with a few things that we’ve learnt from.

“We were slightly disappointed with the way we were performing during the week but pulled it back to put us in contention.

“We did what we could and came away with a bronze medal so you can’t really ask for much more than that.

“It’s been a great experience to be here with the team and we’ve learnt a lot about the venue, particularly in our class.

“There’s some nuances to racing here as opposed to the venues we’re used to which is really interesting for us and gives us something new to work on moving forward.”

Marseille will become a sailing powerhouse next summer as it plays host to all sailing disciplines at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the Test Event acting as a prime opportunity for the best sailors from around the world to get a feel for the French waters.

But the tough conditions were not lost on the Olympic medallist who already has her eyes on a sealing a spot at her second Olympic Games.

“In one word, I would describe Marseille as challenging,” she said. “As an Olympic venue, it’s a small bay surrounded by lots of high and hot land, it’s unpredictable and all our weather people have a hard job.

“But it’s a venue that if we can get right going forward, it can be good.

“It’s funny getting back into that Olympic bubble and it’s quite a different team for us this time compared to Tokyo with a lot of new faces.

“And now we’re straight into Worlds at The Hague which is really important as it’s our first opportunity to qualify for the Olympics as a nation.

“So, we really need to get our heads down for that venue which will present a lot of its own challenges.”