Meet Team GB’s sailing lovebirds who teamed up as strangers and are now getting married after Olympics 2024 in Paris
AS nautical love stories go, few can match John Gimson and Anna Burnet’s.
The pair, repping Team GB in the Mixed Multihull event, met as strangers to form a sailing team.
Some eight years later and they will walk down the aisle in Scotland next month.
It all started after Gimson failed to qualify for Rio 2016, and he teamed up with Burnet.
Covid struck a few years later and they spent more time with one another.
Like something out of a Richard Curtis film, love blossomed after their mutual adoration of sailing.
Gimson told the Daily Mail: “We started out as a sailing team.
“Our first race together was in 2016. I had just lost the trials for Rio and it was my last chance, really. I sailed with lots of different people but when I got on the water with Anna it just clicked.
“Covid happened in the build-up to Tokyo and we were in a bubble together.
“We were living in an Airbnb in Weymouth, then we moved to Italy and trained in Sicily. We were spending more and more time together and we just got closer and closer.”
They did their best to keep their romance private.
However, some of their competitors were already in on the secret that they had fallen in love.
Burnet said: “No one really knew, or at least that’s what we thought.
In 2021, the pair won silver in Tokyo and received their medals on the podium.
“There were no spectators in Tokyo but we had plenty of sailing friends there,” Burnet added.
“When we were on the podium the Argentinians started chanting, ‘Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!’. John turned to me and said, ‘Well, we better had then’. So that’s when I gave in!”
What's happening today at The Games?
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Max Whitlock goes for an unprecedented fourth consecutive medal on the pommel horse (4.10pm)
Our dressage team can claim another gold at the equestrian (9am) after gold, silver and bronze at the last three Games.
Team GB will want to retain the 4x100m mixed relax relay (8.33pm) in the pool and Jake Jarman goes in the men’s floor gymnastics final (2.30pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Tom Pidcock gets back in the saddle after his epic mountain biking gold with the men’s road race (10am).
It is the last day of rowing with GB in with a chance of more medals – especially in the men’s and women’s eights (10.10am).
GB take on Argentina in their final women’s pool game in the hockey (9am).
And Tommy Fleetwood continues his charge towards golfing gold, co-leading at -11 after a seven-under yesterday (10.44am).
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
US sprinter Sha-Carri Richardson and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson will battle it out for women’s 100m sprint gold – with Dina Asher-Smith hoping to keep pace (8.20pm).
We also get a first look in the heats at 100m men’s stars Americans Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman who will battle with Zharnel Hughes for glory (10.45am).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
Badminton often slips under the radar at the Olympics but is always incredible viewing with lightning-quick reactions.
The women’s doubles final features four of the best players in the world as Indonesia face China (3.10pm).
STATS MAD
6 – As of Saturday morning, only six athletes have won the same individual event at the Olympics four times. Katie Ledecky could join that prestigious list – which features Carl Lewis and Michael Phelps – in the 800m freestyle (8.09pm). Vincent Hancock could also do it in the skeet shooting today (2.30pm).
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
While their Olympic dream is alive, wedding plans will have to be on ice for the time being.
“That’s parked while we’re out here,” Burnet confirmed.
“My mum’s organised pretty much everything, so we’ll just have to see what happens.”