OLYMPIC sailing medallist Anna Burnet says no-one deserves Games glory more than her crewmate John Gimson.

Burnet and her fellow Helensburgh and Lomond Olympic heroes, Charlotte Dobson and Luke Patience, have been reflecting on their experience in Japan after the dust settled on a Games unlike any other.

The Shandon sailor, who partnered Gimson to silver in the Nacra 17 mixed multi-hull category at Enoshima Yacht Harbour last week, is one of 11 Scots in Team GB to come home with a medal.

Burnet and Gimson won silver just a few minutes after Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell took gold for the Brits in the men’s 49er category.

Helensburgh Advertiser: John Gimson and Anna Burnet won silver in JapanJohn Gimson and Anna Burnet won silver in Japan

Burnet, 28, said: “Seeing the 49er guys win a medal just before we went out, well John found it a bit stressful but I found it hugely inspiring.

“John keeps telling everyone he’s been doing it [sailing] for 20 years, but honestly there’s no one I think in sport deserves a medal in the Olympics more than John Gimson.

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“And I’m so happy I could have helped him to achieve what he really, really deserves so it’s amazing for me to be part of that.

“It’s a huge relief, we’ve put so much pressure on ourselves, and just to pay back all the people that have helped us to get to this point, so to be able to win a medal for all of them is just a massive relief and I hope it’s something everyone can be happy about.”

The Rhu duo of Dobson and Patience missed out on medals – though for Dobson at least there was some consolation after she and Saskia Tidey finished sixth overall in the 49erFX standings, as she’s about to tie the knot with gold-winning Fletcher.

“I’m sure this gold medal [Dylan Fletcher’s] is going to follow me around,” the 35-year-old said.

“It will be on our dining table I’m sure for the foreseeable future, but I’m just really, really, really proud of him and the team that has been around both Dylan and Stu, and Sas and I.

“At this level you can’t expect to win medals with holes in your performance and unfortunately we kind of got found out this week in these lighter winds, which is frustrating because in the past we’ve dealt with that weakness.

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“We fought for every place we could around the medal race, the spirit was really good all the way up to the end so we have that to be proud of.”

Patience, meanwhile, was unable to add to the silver medal he won with Bithell in the men’s 470 class at London 2012, after he and Chris Grube finished fifth overall.

The 34-year-old’s thoughts are now turning to whether he’ll be better placed to add to Team GB’s medal haul at the Paris Games in 2024 as a coach than as a competitor.

“It’s a joy to push and compete at the highest level,” he said, “but it’s hard when you don’t get what you want out of it. But pride, there’s always pride.

“We’re so well-supported by the team behind us and a nation behind us – the National Lottery players, mums, dads, anyone that’s ever walked into a shop and bought tickets has helped us try to achieve our dream.

“You want to do it for everyone that’s backed the journey, but the buck stops with us. There’s an army of some 65 million that has helped us to do this, but it wasn’t to be this time. It wasn’t in vain though and we held the British flag at the highest level in this class.

“This sport has given me so much, you know, I’d like to give something back. I’d like to see that there’s more gold medals than this time in the next Games, whether that’s me in a boat, or Twiggy [Grube] in a boat, or us in a coach boat.

“Sitting here right now, the latter possibly seems more likely because we’re right on the back of a half a decade of working towards this and it’s a bit heartbreaking right now.”