John Gimson and Anna Burnet are Team GB’s crusing lovebirds

Sitting beside their hotel pool in Marseille, water as still as the windless Mediterranean Sea, John Gimson and Anna Burnet are discussing their biggest rivals for gold. The Italians.

‘They’re invited to our wedding,’ says Burnet, conversation tacking from the Olympics to their nautical love story. Team GB’s mixed multihull pair will tie the knot in Scotland next month but this is no ordinary romance.

Sailing was their first love. They teamed up eight years ago, relative strangers at the time, riding waves across the world in pursuit of their Olympic dream. Their love for each other followed.

‘We started out as a sailing team,’ explains Gimson. ‘Our first race together was in 2016. I had just lost the trials for Rio and it was my last chance, really. I sailed with lots of different people but when I got on the water with Anna it just clicked.

‘Covid happened in the build-up to Tokyo and we were in a bubble together. We were living in an Airbnb in Weymouth, then we moved to Italy and trained in Sicily. We were spending more and more time together and we just got closer and closer.’

John Gimson and Anna Burnet are Team GB’s sailing couple dreaming of Olympic gold

The pair teameded up eight years ago, relative strangers at the time, but are now set to get married

At the Tokyo Olympics four years ago they claimed silver in the mixed medal race

A pair who go about their business quietly, their blossoming relationship remained private. ‘No one really knew,’ says Burnet, ‘or at least that’s what we thought.’ With one moment of elation, standing on the Olympic podium in 2021 with their silver medals, that all changed.

‘There were no spectators in Tokyo but we had plenty of sailing friends there,’ adds Burnet. ‘When we were on the podium the Argentinians started chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”. John turned to me and said, “Well, we better had then”. So that’s when I gave in!’

She adds: ‘Winning that medal was unreal. The weight of your world just lifts off your shoulders. There was so much happiness but also utter relief. That next morning was the first time ever that I felt like I don’t need to do anything else. I’ve never felt so light. It was amazing.’

Gold went to the Italians but the relationship with their rivals thrived.

‘We spend more time with them than with our family,’ says Burnet. We train together. We go for dinner together. We push each other hard but as soon as we’re on the shore, they’re just like friends.’

Weather permitting, they will begin competing on Saturday in the five-day mixed multihull competition on the Cote d’Azur. It is a spectacular setting, penned in by dramatic mountainscapes, at the mercy of the elements. The fickle breeze has been chased out of the bay this week so they are prepared for late changes to the schedule.

‘Obviously we’d love to win gold here,’ says Gimson. ‘My silver medal lives on the bedside table and is quite a good motivation to wake up too. Anna keeps hers in the sock drawer.

‘A gold medal is the dream but we’re very realistic. It’s a difficult venue, due to the topography of the bay. In Tokyo, it was a very clean wind coming from the ocean and everyone had an even amount of wind, so whoever did the best job of sailing wins the race. 

Weather permitting, the Team GB pair will begin competing on Saturday in the five-day mixed multihull competition on the Cote d’Azur

The duo have different roles on the hydrofoil boat but come from completely different backgrounds

Gimson’s (left) role in the double act is tactics and steering, while Burnet (right) trims the sails and acts as flight controller

‘Here the wind comes straight off the shore onto the racecourse at different angles. It’s coming over mountains and cliffs and swirling all over the place, so it’s very hard to read. There’s more luck involved here than there was in Tokyo.’

In simple terms, the darker patches of water are the sweet spots. Gimson’s role in the double act is tactics and steering, while Burnet trims the sails and acts as flight controller of the hydrofoil. It is a craft they have been mastering since their childhood.

‘We have totally different backgrounds,’ says Burnet. ‘John grew up in Cheshire, sailing on a little lake. I’m from a family that has always sailed out at Gairloch, basically on the Clyde Estuary, half an hour from Glasgow.

‘When I was a wee girl at school I wanted to go to the Olympics, in any sport. I was good at the 800 metres and when we were 12 one of my friends wrote me an acceptance speech for winning gold on the track. She always said I have to mention her, so if we win gold here I’ll give her a shout-out!’

Sailing is in Burnet’s blood. A tear rolls down her face as she talks about her uncle, Sir Peter Blake. He was a New Zealand yachtsman who held the world record for sailing around the world, before being murdered by modern-day pirates in 2001.

Burnet’s uncle was Sir Peter Blake (pictured), the New Zealand yachtsman who held the world record for sailing around the world, before being murdered by modern-day pirates in 2001

Wedding planning will have to wait for the Team GB pair as full focus remains on winning gold at the Olympics

‘I never really talk about it,’ says Burnet, sadness written into her face, as her lips quiver. ‘My mum’s sister, aunty Pippa, was married to Peter. He won two America’s Cups, the round-the-world race and was a really strong environmentalist.

‘He was travelling to different places around the world by boat, sending back messages about what was happening with the environment. When he was in the Amazon, he was killed by pirates. 

‘The pirates boarded the yacht to steal things and Peter was defending his crewmates. It happened when I was at primary school. It was obviously really sad for the family but he was a legend in sailing. Sailing’s part our lives and my uncle has been a massive inspiration.’

Over the next few days, she is hoping to build on the family’s legacy on the waves. As for wedding planning, that will have to wait. ‘That’s parked while we’re out here,’ says Burnet, focussed fully on her duel with the Italians et al. ‘My mum’s organised pretty much everything, so we’ll just have to see what happens.’