Tokyo Olympics 2020: Eilidh McIntyre emulates her father Mike by winning sailing Olympic gold

Sailor Eilidh McIntyre has emulated her father Mike by winning Olympic gold.

Great Britain's Eilidh Mcintyre, left, and Hannah Mills celebrate after winning the 470 women's gold medal. Picture: Bernat Armangue/AP

She teamed up with Hannah Mills to triumph in the women’s 470 class in Tokyo. Mills is now the most successful female Olympic sailor in history.

There was a delay for the result to be ratified after a protest from France but that was dismissed, with Mills and McIntyre confirmed in gold.

Glasgow-born Mike McIntyre was the Olympic gold medallist in the Star class at the Seoul Games in 1988.

Daughter Hannah grew up in Hayling Island in Hampshire and was never far from the water. She first set sail on a catamaran with her dad aged just eight months old, and quickly caught the sailing bug.

It is a debut Olympic medal for McIntyre but Mills, who carried the British flag at the opening ceremony with rower Mohamed Sbihi, won silver in London and gold in Rio with Saskia Clark in the same boat.

Mills and McIntyre have dominated the regatta at Enoshima, winning two races and only twice finishing outside the top four, and they went into the medal race with a 14-point lead.

Japan's Ai Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka, Britain's Hannah Mills and Eilidh Mcintyre and France's Aloise Retornaz and France's Camille Lecointre sail past Mount Fuji during the women's two-person dinghy 470 medal race. Picture: Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images

That meant they only needed to finish in the top seven to clinch gold and they were never in any danger, crossing the line comfortably in fifth.

The victory continued a hugely successful two days for Britain’s sailors, with Mills and McIntyre making it three gold medals after success for Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell in the 49er and Giles Scott in the Finn on Tuesday.

It is the country’s second best Olympic tally after Beijing in 2008, when they won six medals, including four golds.

Mills joined forces with 27-year-old McIntyre when Clark retired following the Rio Olympics and the pair marked themselves out as the ones to beat by winning the world championships at Enoshima in 2019.

Mike McIntyre, left, the father of Olympic gold medallist Eilidh McIntyre, is congratulated at Hayling Island Sailing Club, Hampshire. Mike won gold at the Seoul Games in 1988. Steve Parsons/PA Wire

There was disappointment, though, for 2012 silver medallist Luke Patience and Chris Grube in the men’s 470.

They were sitting second after eight races but dropped to fifth ahead of the medal race and that was where they finished after crossing the line in seventh.

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