HANSON Elliot

General
FRIENDLY COMPETITION
He shares a strong bond with British Laser teammates Michael Beckett, Lorenzo Chiavarinni, and Jack Wetherell. The group have had collective successes at major championships, with Hanson winning gold in the men's Laser class at the 2020 European Championships in Gdansk, Poland, and Beckett and Chiavarinni making up the other podium places. "I think there's been a strong culture develop within my generation of British single-handed sailors. Myself, Mickey, Lorenzo, and Jack, we were all born within 12 months of each other. As children we grew up together. So I guess it's a little bit of a generation thing. We've always pushed each other on and on. We actually spend the majority of our free time together, going on holidays or socialising. Part of it comes from sailing a Laser and therefore all having a similar mentality, personality, and interests. With our current group we've sailed together for over 10 years. We're all in competition for the 2020 [Olympic] spot, but I'd say the friendships formed over the years will far outlast any Olympic selection, present or future." (tokyo2020.org, 30 Nov 2020; laserinternational.org, 16 Mar 2019)

INJURIES LEAD TO INSIGHT
He required surgery on an ankle injury in 2018, and the recovery period allowed him the opportunity to gain insights into his sailing. "I've always had issues with my ankles since I was a teenager. Early this year [2018] we had a training camp in Portugal and I was walking out the front door to go to the airport and I rolled it on a step. I wasn't actually able to develop my sailing skills much, if at all, before the 2018 racing season, but it did give me an opportunity to explore how to find more consistency. Without giving too much away, I spent a lot of time analysing my sailing, my competitors' sailing, and how to perform to my best ability more frequently." (laserinternational.org, 16 Mar 2019; yachtsandyachting.co.uk, 18 Sep 2018)

AMERICA'S CUP AMBITIONS
He was part of the winning team at the Youth America's Cup in 2017, and hopes to compete in America's Cup sailing again in the future. "I knew very little about sailing that style of boat, and my sailing career had mostly consisted of single-handed dinghies. I remember asking [British sailor] Giles Scott endless questions, watching videos, and reading a lot of books to learn quickly. I remember him saying something along the lines of, 'Sailing is sailing so regardless of your background, if you're good enough you'll pick it up fast'. I think there's a great deal of truth in that, and any single-handed sailors given opportunities to step into that world have all gone on to prove it. I'd love to be involved again one day [in America's Cup sailing] and wouldn't be afraid to admit it's a long-term goal of mine. It's amazing to have a UK team going from strength to strength with some of my closest friends at the forefront." (laserinternational.org, 16 Mar 2019)

GIVING BACK
He divides his time between his family home in Macclesfield, England, and Weymouth where the British national sailing programme is based. When at home in Macclesfield, he enjoys coaching young sailors. "It's incredibly satisfying to see you can make a difference and guide future generations in our sport." (Twitter profile, 13 Aug 2019; Instagram profile, 08 Aug 2019; laserinternational.org, 16 Mar 2019)