Competing in the Men’s Dinghy Event in Marseille

Another Welsh athlete is set to make his Olympic debut on day six of the Paris Games. Sailor Michael Beckett will be competing in the men’s dinghy event in Marseille.

At 29, the West Wales native was previously working as an advisor for TV directors during the Tokyo Olympics. Now, he’s at the centre of the action himself, having won European gold, world silver, and both bronze and silver at the Paris 2024 test event.

Beckett will debut at Marseille Marina on Thursday, participating in two races daily, aiming to make it into the top 10 and advance to next week’s medal races. Following in the footsteps of Welsh sailors Ian Barker and Hannah Mills, as well as sports legend Sir Ben Ainslie, Beckett is poised to add to Team GB’s medal tally.

From West Wales to the South of France, here’s a closer look at the real Micky Beckett.

Born in the small village of Solva, with fewer than 900 residents, in 1995, Beckett was introduced to sailing by his father, Piers, the principal at the local boat club, Solva Sailboats.

First seated in a boat at the age of five, Beckett began competing in races across the UK and joined the Wales and British sailing squads at 12. In his teenage years, he travelled the world for competitions but maintains that there is no place like home.

“Solva is my anchor,” he told the Western Mail in a recent interview. “It’s where I’m from and the place in the world I’m most proud of. I love to come back and chill out with my dad. Growing up in Solva was amazing; it was like one big playground for me, my brother Stevie, and our friends. We used to explore every cave from Newgale to St David’s Head.”

“When I travel around the world, one of the first questions I get asked is where I’m from. It usually takes some explaining and often involves getting out Google Maps. I start by saying West Wales, but they think Cardiff. I end up saying, ‘Go across the Severn Bridge, drive for two and a half hours, and go all the way to the end.’ I tell them we’re closer to Ireland than England, living in Solva.”

His Welsh roots are incredibly important to him: “If I’m in a taxi in Spain and I get asked, I just say I’m from Wales, where Gareth Bale is from. Sometimes that gets you a cheaper fare. I’m very proud of where I’m from and I’m very proud to represent my country and Team GB. I get changed every day with a towel with a Welsh dragon on it, and that goes with me all over the world. It is a very important part of my identity, having grown up in Pembrokeshire.”

As Beckett prepares to make his Olympic debut in the South of France, he reflects on achieving a lifelong dream he once thought unattainable.

“Being a part of the iconic Team GB is amazing. I wouldn’t describe myself as too much of a dreamer, but the Olympics only ever existed for me on TV before this,” he told the Western Mail.

“I didn’t know anyone who had been to the Olympics until I started sailing professionally, and it always felt a long way away. I did an interview on BBC 5 Live after being selected, and they asked me what I thought about the new kit. I’m the least fashion-conscious person around, but that question made me realise that I’m now part of this iconic team. When I think about all the phenomenal athletes who have gone before – Ben Ainslie, Hannah Mills, Sir Steve Redgrave – and then realise I’m now one of the people following in their footsteps, I just don’t have the correct words to explain what that means to me.”

While his father introduced him to sailing, Beckett’s mother, Josie, ignited his ambition, encouraging him to pursue his dream of making it to the Olympics.

Tragically, Josie passed away in July 2022 after battling cancer, but she knew her son was on his way to realising his dream. As Beckett takes to the water in Marseille, he will be reminded of the sacrifices both his parents made to fuel his ambitions. He recently joked that his “mum and dad got great value out of their AA membership from all the miles they had to drive taking me to different events almost every weekend” as a youngster.

Beckett’s fiancée, Ellie Aldridge, is also part of the Team GB line-up in Paris. She won the European kitefoil title last year and secured her third medal at the last World Championships with silver.

Meanwhile, his former school friend Jasmine Joyce-Butchers has been competing in the women’s rugby sevens event. Both athletes attended Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi in St Davids as children.

Headteacher Rachel Thomas recently expressed the school’s pride in cheering on both former pupils at the Olympics, describing them as “humble and so inspirational.”

“We’re so proud of both Micky and Jazz, as we are of all our pupils in whatever sport they progress in. We’re here to provide them with the opportunity to develop their talent, and it’s great when they go all the way to the top,” said Thomas. “The pupils are studying the Olympics in school at the moment, and they were thrilled when Micky paid us a visit. He simply told them to try to be the best they could be – and to keep on trying. He was such a great all-rounder in school, playing in the orchestra as well as participating in many sports. Both he and Jazz are just so humble and so inspirational. We’ll all be backing them in Pembrokeshire.”