Ellie Aldridge
{{Short description|British windfoiling sailor (born 1996)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Ellie Aldridge
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|12|29}}
| birth_place = Poole, Dorset, England
| sport = Kitefoiling
| club = Parkstone Yacht Club
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's kitefoiling}}
{{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold|2024 Paris|Formula Kite}}
}}
Eleanor Aldridge MBE (born 29 December 1996) is a British sailor from Dorset who competes in women's kite foiling. She won the 2023 Formula Kite European Championships and took the silver that year in the World Championships. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Aldridge won a gold medal in the women's Formula Kite event.
Early life
Aldridge was born on 29 December 1996{{cite web |title=Ellie Aldridge {{!}} Team GB |url=https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/ellie-aldridge/cfE1noqcDweAW8tPltaE4 |website=www.teamgb.com |access-date=23 July 2024 |language=en-gb}} in Poole, Dorset.{{cite web |title=Eleanor Aldridge |url=https://www.sailing.org/sailor/eleanor-aldridge |website=World Sailing |access-date=23 July 2024 |language=en}} She was first introduced to sailing when she was seven years old and joined the Parkstone Yacht Club where she experimented with sailing dinghies.{{Cite web |title=Ellie Aldridge {{!}} Team GB |url=https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/ellie-aldridge/cfE1noqcDweAW8tPltaE4 |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=www.teamgb.com |language=en-gb}}
Career
In 2021 she beat French windfoiler Lauriane Nolot into third place at the Formula Kite World Championships in Torregrande in Sardinia. It was won by American Daniela Moroz with Aldridge in second.{{Cite web |title=America Wins But British Kite Foiler Ellie Aldridge Takes Silver at the 2021 Formula Kite World Championships |url=https://afloat.ie/sail/olympic-sailing/paris-2024/item/52309-america-wins-but-british-kite-foiler-ellie-aldridge-takes-silver-at-the-2021-formula-kite-world-championships |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=afloat.ie |language=en-gb}}
In 2022 she took the silver medal in the KiteFoil World Series Traunsee in Austria. She was beaten by the Polish surfer Julia Damasiewicz.{{Cite web |title=2022 KiteFoil World Series Traunsee - Overall |url=https://www.sail-world.com/news/250512/KiteFoil-World-Series-Traunsee-overall |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=www.sail-world.com}}
Aldridge led the UK contingent at the World Championships in August 2023 in The Hague. Lauriane Nolot won the event and Aldridge took the silver.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-25 |title=Poole sailor Ellie seals statement silver ahead of Olympics |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/24345581.ellie-aldridge-takes-silver-ahead-olympic-sailing/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Bournemouth Echo |language=en}} She was followed in third and fourth place by fellow British competitors, Lily Young and Katie Dabson.{{Cite web |title=Meet the team: Ellie Aldridge |url=https://britishsailingteam.rya.org.uk/news/meet-the-team-ellie-aldridge/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=British Sailing Team |language=en}} In 2023 she was training with four other "GB Kite Girls" in Weymouth. Katie Dabson and the other "GB Kite Girls" were assisting her training for the Olympics.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-19 |title=Katie Dabson and the power of the GB Formula Kite girls |url=https://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/24195637.katie-dabson-power-gb-formula-kite-girls/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=East Lothian Courier |language=en}} The "GB Kite Girls" were Aldridge, Maddy Anderson, Jemima Crathorne, Katie Dabson and Lily Young.{{Cite web |title=The GB Kite Girls introduce you to their new Olympic sailing class {{!}} Team GB |url=https://www.teamgb.com/article/the-gb-kite-girls-introduce-you-to-their-new-olympic-sailing-class/4DnreLwrCwC3uBecIJ2zVM |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=www.teamgb.com |language=en-gb}}
She won the 2023 Formula Kite European Championships in Portsmouth beating the Dutch Annelous Lammerts and the French Poema Newland.{{Cite web |title=2023 Europeans |url=https://www.formulakite.org/2023europeans |access-date=2024-07-16 |website=Welcome to the IKA Formula Kite Class |language=en-gb}} This was her first significant win and she took first, despite a crash. Lauriane Nolot, the world champion was not in Portsmouth for the event. There was an Olympic rehearsal type event later in Paris, in 2024, when she came second to Nolot.
In March 2024 the Formula Kite European championships took place in Spain. Aldridge finished in fifth place just ahead of Lily Young,{{Cite web |date=2024-03-29 |title=Sailing's Lily Young confident after 2024 Formula Kite Europeans |url=https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/24220788.sailings-lily-young-confident-2024-formula-kite-europeans/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Northwich Guardian |language=en}} however in May at the Formula Kite World Sailing Championships she came second to the Frenchwoman Lauriane Nolot.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-25 |title=Poole sailor Ellie seals statement silver ahead of Olympics |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/24345581.ellie-aldridge-takes-silver-ahead-olympic-sailing/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=Bournemouth Echo |language=en}}
The new sport of kite foiling which had been selected in 2019.{{Cite journal |date=2019 |title=World Siling Confirms Formula Kite in Paris 2024 |url=https://www.surfertoday.com/kiteboarding/world-sailing-confirms-formula-kite-in-paris-2024 |journal=Surfer Today}} Aldridge was then announced as a member of Great Britain's Formula Kite team.{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=James |date=2023-10-27 |title=Team GB kite foiler Ellie Aldridge on how she will handle Olympic pressure Team GB kite foiler Ellie Aldridge on how she will handle Olympic pressure |url=https://buzz.bournemouth.ac.uk/2023/10/team-gb-kite-foiler-ellie-aldridge-on-how-she-will-handle-olympic-pressure/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Buzz |language=en-GB}} In kitesurfing, there is a large focus on having a higher weight to provide an advantage, so Aldridge focused on gaining weight for the 2024 Olympics; she cut down on exercise in order to gain 17% extra weight. She has stated that this means that cannot do other things she enjoys like cycling and eating healthily. All competitors are making similar sacrifices and she questions if the sport can continue if it requires riders to be so unhealthy.{{Cite news |last=Bloom |first=Ben |date=2024-08-04 |title=Ellie Aldridge: The Olympian who avoids cardio work |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2024/08/04/ellie-aldridge-the-olympian-who-does-no-cardio-work/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} She went on to win gold in the women's Formula kite event. Lauriane Nolot had fallen in one of the final races but her earlier results gave her the silver medal. The Dutch surfer, Annelous Lammerts, took the bronze medal.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-08 |title=Paris Olympics sailing: GB's Ellie Aldridge wins gold in women's kite final |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/cvgdl2g4w34o |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}
She was a member of the team of women who competed for the Women's America's Cup. Other team members were Tash Bryant, Hattie Rogers, Anna Burnet and Saskia Tidey and they were captained by Hannah Mills.{{Cite web |title=PUIG WOMEN'S AMERICA'S CUP UPDATE |url=https://www.americascup.com/news/3159_PUIG-WOMENS-AMERICAS-CUP-UPDATE |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=37th America's Cup |language=en}}The team made it through the heats and their boat Athena Pathway was beaten in the finals in October by the Italians.{{Cite web |date=12 October 2024 |title=Athena Pathway 'proud' to have competed in first ever Women's America's Cup Final |url=https://www.athenapathway.com/en/articles/64_Athena-Pathway-proud-to-have-competed-in-first-ever-Womens-Americas-Cup-Final.html |access-date=9 February 2024 |website=athenapathway}}
In the New Years Honours, Aldridge became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire together with other TeamGB team mates 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson and trampoline Olympic champion Bryony Page.{{Cite web |title=Ellie Aldridge made MBE in New Year's Honours |url=https://britishsailingteam.rya.org.uk/news/ellie-aldridge-made-mbe-in-new-year-s-honours/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=British Sailing Team |language=en}} Later that month it was announced that she and Ben Cornish were to join the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team training for a strategist role.{{Cite web |last=Sailweb |date=2025-01-17 |title=Ben Cornish and Ellie Aldridge join Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team |url=https://www.sailweb.co.uk/2025/01/17/ben-cornish-and-ellie-aldridge-join-emirates-great-britain-sailgp-team/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |language=en-GB}}
References
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{{Footer Olympic Champions Women's Formula Kite}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldridge, Ellie}}
Category:English female sailors (sport)
Category:Sportspeople from Poole
Category:Sailors at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Formula Kite
Category:Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Category:Olympic gold medalists in sailing