Confidence, calmness, experience.
Three words that repeatedly came up in the interview given by Ermioni Gkika to the official website of Kalamaki Nautical Club (www.nok.com.gr), a few days after winning the silver medal at the U21 World Sailing Championship in Lanzarote, Spain.
These three qualities led the 17-year-old sailor of Kalamaki Nautical Club to her 13th medal in just four years of a short but highly successful sailing career.
Ermioni Gkika, speaking from France, where she has been living permanently for the past five months due to her studies, talks about the demanding road to the medal and about her upcoming summer racing programme, which will have a strong Greek presence.
Below is the full interview:
How did you experience this championship?
It was not an easy championship, but I enjoyed it and that is what matters to me. The level was extremely high, the sea conditions were very demanding, with a lot of wind and many changes. It may not have been my best regatta, but everything went according to plan.
Was there a day when you felt under more pressure?
Around the middle of the championship, for about two days, I was under a lot of pressure. I had no confidence at all. Every wrong decision counted. I needed more focus than ever.
Could you have won the gold medal?
I don’t think I could have won the gold. No, not at all. Second place was the best result I could achieve. The winner, the Italian Ginevra Caracciolo, was far ahead of all of us in performance. She had been trying for many years to win a medal and for three consecutive years she had finished fourth. I knew her value all these years and she truly deserved the gold.
Your silver medal, however, looked like a thriller on the final day, during the last two races. You fought a very tough battle with Spain’s Adriana Castro and eventually came out on top…
In the penultimate race I was very far back and I “saved it” at the end with a 10th place. In the last race I started with a lot of confidence. I sailed conservatively, constantly checking behind me and seeing that my opponent was far back. At some moments I tried to locate her and couldn’t even see her. In the end, while she had been around 30th, I suddenly saw her in 10th place. At that point I did exactly what I had to do so that she wouldn’t pass me.
Still, from ninth place at the previous age-group championship to second place now in just a few months. That is a big jump of seven positions…
I am very happy with second place, it is a big success. Even if I had finished fifth it would still have been a success — let alone now that I won the silver medal.
What do you think mattered most in this championship?
I think experience mattered most, especially on the final day. I wasn’t stressed, I followed my plan and it worked. I stayed focused and everything went as I had planned.
What is your next commitment?
In about one month there is the qualification event for the national team, and in May the Women’s European Championship. There I will really measure myself ahead of the qualification events for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. It will be the most serious crash test for me. I won’t be stressed about the result, but I want to see how far I can really go. It will be a very important event.
The first Olympic qualification takes place in January 2027, and before that I will have only two races to test myself.
And in July, the U19 European Championship in Thessaloniki. I assume you know expectations will be very high there…
I know. There I will go for the gold medal. I know I will be sailing in Greek waters and I know it will be demanding. I have won the previous championship in the same category and I have to do it again. I have this event clearly marked on my calendar.
How are your studies in France going? Won’t it be difficult to combine everyday life with training?
I have now got used to my new home. I have found my rhythm and my footing, I would say. My daily schedule is very demanding, but I don’t complain. I study a lot, I go to the gym and I sleep around six hours. I have passed all my courses and I am waiting for my grades, because I want to be high in my university ranking.
Who would you dedicate your medal to, and who helped you achieve it?
I definitely dedicate it to Greece and to young sailors who dream of becoming top athletes one day. I receive very important support from the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Hellenic Sailing Federation and my club, Kalamaki Nautical Club. They are three very strong “teammates” of mine and I thank them very much.
