Championing a Future Olympian
Let’s get this out of the way quickly. The future Olympian we’re talking about is neither David or myself, or any of our other fantastic team members here at 4twenty2 headquarters.
He is, however, the son of our Head of Operations, and his name is Alex Jones. We are delighted and hugely proud to be sponsoring Alex during his build-up to the ICLA 4 Sailing World Championships in June, in sunny Portugal.
Representing Great Britain is no small achievement.
The title of this introduction really isn’t clickbait either. If Alex’s progression continues at the same pace, there is every chance he could be representing Great Britain in 2028/2032!
This PAGE is dedicated to following Alex’s progress over the next two months ahead of raceday, starting on the 22nd June.
No business tips, no contrived parallel-drawing between elite sport and our training. Just the start of us keeping you all up-to-date on Alex’s journey as he heads towards the next milestone in a frankly already super-impressive sailing career to date.
Here is a bit more about Alex:
Alex Jones is a rising star in sailing, he has quickly progressed through the classes at junior level before winning gold at the 2023 Topper World Championships.
Starting at the age of 7 in an AB dinghy at Parkstone, he showed focus and resilience, frequently placing in the top 3 at the local club. At 12 he progressed to a Topper dinghy, and was selected into the RYA South West Squad.
In 2022 Alex competed in National Level events, with 4 podium finishes in his first year and coming 3rd in the overall National Series. Alex represented Great Britain in the World Championships. He narrowly missed out on gold fleet but proceeded to win the Silver fleet in Lake Garda, Italy.
Alex represented GB in the 2023 Topper World Championships in Cork, Ireland, competing against 200+ sailors, with 5 days of back-to-back racing, Alex displayed a master class in reading the shifts, showing great adaptability in the changing weather conditions and took gold, he was crowned 2023 Topper World Champion.
Alex has now moved up a dinghy class from Toppers into the ILCA 4 dinghy. Selected to train with the top 25 sailors in the U.K, Alex has progressed quickly in his first 6 months and challenging for global success has already competed in his first international event.
His next target is the ILCA 4 World Championships in Vianna del Costello in Portugal. He is working hard over the next few months to train and prepare for the racing starting 22 June.
Watch this space for more, as we will be posting interviews with coaches (and even an ex-Olympian), wonderful photos of Alex in action and a host of other content to keep you up-to-date.
In the grand tradition of wishing sailors the best of luck, fair winds and following winds, Alex!