-
Hannah Mills was born in Cardiff, Wales and has been involved in sailing since she was just eight years old
-
The Team GB sailing heroine is a keen environmentalist, founding the Big Plastic Pledge in 2019
-
Hannah won Olympic gold alongside crew Saskia Clark in the 470 class at Rio, four years after the duo won silver in London
Hannah Mills isn’t a household name amongst sports betting fans but she is one of the most successful female British sailing athletes of all-time.
A two-time world champion in the 470 class, Hannah is best known for winning gold at Rio 2016 while she also clinched the silver medal at London 2012.
Who is Hannah Mills?
With Saskia Clark retiring after success in Rio, Hannah Mills is now paired up with Eilidh McIntyre – who will be competing at the Olympic Games for the first time.
However, the two have built up an impressive rapport and British sailing fans will be quietly confident of back-to-back Olympic gold medals for Hannah Mills and Team GB.
We take a look at Hannah Mills career statistics, as well as her Big Plastic Pledge campaign to help sustainability of the ocean.
Hannah Mills Sailing
Sailing has been a huge part of Hannah’s life since her childhood, with the Welsh sailing star learning the ropes at Cardiff Sailing Centre when she was just eight years old.
Since then, she has gone from strength to strength and Hannah Mills career achievements go above and beyond any budding sailor’s wildest dreams.
Mills partnered up with Saskia Clark to take the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, with the duo falling just short of the coveted gold medal.
However, that all changed at Rio 2016 as Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark went one better and claimed Olympic gold to cement their status as Team GB sailing legends.
Hannah Mills Olympic Medals
Hannah Mills has competed at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, winning the silver medal and gold medal respectively – partnering Saskia Clark on both occasions.
In 2012, Mills and Clark were representing Team GB at their home Olympics but relished the challenge in Weymouth, though just falling short against New Zealand.
Whilst training for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Hannah Mills was robbed at knifepoint – less than 18 months before the competition was due to start.
However, Mills and Clark showed immense courage and resilience to continue and the duo were rewarded with an Olympic gold medal in the 470 class in Brazil.
Hannah Mills Partner
The legendary Saskia Clark announced her retirement after success in Rio and Hannah Mills has been partnered by Eilidh McIntyre ever since.
McIntyre and Mills won silver at the 2017 World Championship before finishing third in the same class the following year. In 2019, the duo struck gold in Enoshina.
Mills has been full of praise for McIntyre since she got on board and the two-time Olympic medallist knows that her teammate could be key to success in Tokyo.
As Hannah Mills looks to become the most successful female sailor in Olympic history, Eilidh will look to follow in the footsteps of father Mike – who won gold for Team GB at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Hannah Mills Big Plastic Pledge
In 2019, Hannah Mills launched the Big Plastic Pledge initiative in a bid to end single-use plastic in sport after her own experiences from the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The Welshwoman received the support of the International Olympic Committee and, along with 470 class partner Eilidh McIntyre, Mills ha slooked at ways to reduce single-use plastic in sailing and the wider sports landscape.
The initiative asks athletes to commit to a minimum of three pledges from the Big Plastic Pledge list, including only using reusable bottles, cups and also metal straws.
Furthermore, Hannah Mills was selected alongside Norwegian rower Martin Helseth to be a European Climate Pact Ambassador – much to the delight of the British sailor.
Hannah Mills Instagram
A quick look at Hannah Mills Instagram uploads and you’d know immediately that she is a sailor – her entire feed is full of amazing sailing footage!
As well as the odd reference to the Plastic Pledge campaign, Hannah posts the odd image from her personal life – with snapshots of friends, family and throwbacks to years gone by.
With less than 10,000 followers, Hannah Mills has a small social media presence but a gold medal at Tokyo 2021 would certainly see a spike in followers.
If Mills and McIntyre bring back the bacon, we could see Hannah Mills Instagram numbers reach new heights in the aftermath of the Olympic Games.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Gregorio Borgia / AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 6th June 2021
