Countdown to Tokyo: Murphy poised to meet old rivals in Tokyo

Daire Walsh

WHEN Rathfarnham sailor Annalise Murphy takes to the water at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, she will find herself amongst familiar company.

Having narrowly missed out on a podium place in London four years earlier, Murphy claimed a silver medal in the Laser Radial event at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Pipping her into first spot at Marina da Glória in the Brazilian city was Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands with Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom claiming third in the final standings.

Both of these competitors will be joining Murphy in making a return to the Laser Radial circuit in Tokyo and, given their past accomplishments in the field, expectations are high for this triumvirate.

Of course, the ferociously-driven Murphy will have a personal ambition of her own as she navigates the ocean in the Japanese capital.

As it stands, only Pat O’Callaghan (men’s hammer throw) and Paddy Barnes (boxing) have secured medals at more than one Summer Olympics.

While there was a four-year gap between the achievements of this duo, Murphy has had to wait an additional 12 months to take part in her third Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UCD graduate has enjoyed an interesting career trajectory in the five years that followed her magnificent performances in Rio.

In the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race, Murphy was part of a team headed up by British sailor Dee Caffari.

Competing on a Volvo 65 yacht, she embraced this new challenge and later joined forces with Katie Tingle in the high-speed 49erFX category.

However, following a period of 14 months, a decision was reached in September 2019 to bring their Olympic qualification campaign to an end and Murphy consequently switched back to the Laser Radial.

Outside of fellow medalists Bouwmeester and Rindom, she is expected to encounter considerable resistance from a host of other sailors in Japan.

Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert has form in Japanese waters, having won ‘Ready Steady Tokyo’ (an Olympic sailing test event) and the Hempel World Cup there in 2019.

Alison Young of Great Britain is another to watch for as she aims to build on solid showings in the past two Olympic Games.

After achieving fifth-place at the London Games in 2012, she finished eighth four years later in Rio.

2016 also saw her crowned World Champion and this ensures she is one competitor that Murphy will need to watch.