The goal is Olympic gold – Bainbridge

Weymouth-based kiteboarder Connor Bainbridge is aiming for a gold medal in Paris, but his Olympic dream was almost ended by a freak training accident.

“I was doing some training runs and I was just pushing too hard downwind,” he told BBC Radio Solent.

“I got off the board and did a turn with the foil that went through my leg.

“My doctor said we were three centimetres away from eliminating me from the Olympics. Fortunately, I only missed the World Championships.”

Kitesurfing will make its Olympic debut this summer with sailing events taking place off the southern coast of France in Marseille.

“I love this sport. It’s amazing,” added Bainbridge, 30.

“To have him on the world stage for the first time at the Olympics is a spectacle. He looks phenomenal and I hope he boosts our sport.”

Bainbridge, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, only qualified for the Games in April with a win at the Last Chance Regatta in Hyères, France, having previously failed to secure a place at the World and European Championships.

“Looking back now, I agree with my coach, who said it would only be a good thing in the long run, but at the time it was difficult,” Bainbridge said.

“We stepped away and re-evaluated everything we were doing in my campaign and came back stronger, which was great, I wouldn’t be where I am now if that hadn’t happened.

“The goal is now clear for the Olympic Games: I hope it will be gold. It is what we have been working for and fighting for all winter.”