Fremantle Sailors Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries Complete Their First Olympic Games

Fremantle Sailing Club and Freo folk have rightly been busy congratulating Matt Wearn on his Gold at the recent Tokyo Olympics.

While they didn’t medal, as we say in the trade, local Freo sailors Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries were also in Tokyo and completed their first Olympic Games in the Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470 Class.

With results in the top ten and outstanding upwind speed, the team showed consistency over a range of challenging weather conditions across 11 days. The team managed a top result of seventh in their first race and finished 16th overall out of 21 competitors, finishing closely with Italy and Sweden.

Here they are in action.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition will see 350 athletes from 65 nations race across the ten Olympic disciplines. Enoshima Yacht Harbour, the host venue of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Sailing Competition, will once again welcome sailors from 25 July to 4 August 2021. 30 July, 2021 © Sailing Energy / World Sailing

Nia and Monique started sailing together in 2016, winning the 420 World Championships, then transitioning into the Olympic 470 class and competing on the world stage. The team were on an upward trajectory winning silver at the World Cup Olympic Test Event in Enoshima and a top ten finish at the World Championships securing them a place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Fremantle Sailing Club Headcoach Tessa Parkinson describes the team as a dedicated duo who have trained for many hours with WAIS Head Coach Belinda Stowell Brett out of Fremantle. The team has also trained extensively with the Australian Sailing Team in Queensland and Sydney as part of their preparation for overseas competition on the world circuit.

Nia and Monique have also been part of the coaching team at Fremantle Sailing Club since 2016, passing on their skills and knowledge to the Club’s junior sailors, inspiring them with their incredible success.