Emma Wilson knows only too well the highs and lows that come with being an elite athlete.

The TeamGB windsurfer has won multiple Olympic, World and European Championship medals throughout an impressive career and recently became the first British woman to win the Princess Sofia Trophy – the top prize at the prestigious Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta.

That event signals the beginning of the new Olympic sailing season, and the joy of Emma’s success was decidedly different to how she felt at the culmination of the previous four-year cycle.

Having finished 30-points clear at the top of the standings in the preliminary stage of the iQFoil event at the Paris 2024 Games, she finished third in the final medal race.

Windsurfing is one of only two sailing classes to adopt a winner-takes-all medal race and, in the immediate aftermath of that performance, Emma questioned her future in the sport due to frustrations with the format.

“After Paris, it wasn’t easy,” she tells the BEAA after being voted Athletes’ Athlete of the Month for April.

“It was pretty hard emotionally as you put so much into the Olympics and then to not quite get the result you wanted or thought you could have got - it can be tough, but I love windsurfing, and I guess my mindset has changed a bit.

“I want to be the best windsurfer I can be rather than just focusing on medals, because at the end of the day, you don’t remember the medals, you remember all the people you meet and the moments on the water.

“I’m just trying to focus on that.”

Emma’s uncertainty post-Paris will be a familiar scenario for BEAA members.

It’s natural for elite athletes to have moments of doubt, particularly when you don’t get the result you were hoping for.

However, Emma bounced back in spectacular fashion at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, and having navigated a challenging period, she would encourage her fellow athletes to speak openly when times get tough.

“I think probably chatting to your coach, or whoever it is that you find easiest to speak to is really important,” she explains.

“For me, at the start, I definitely went silent and it’s hard to keep it all in but if you actually talk it out with people then you can work out a plan. You can figure out what you enjoy and then everything becomes a lot easier.

“At the end of the day, it’s sport and as athletes we are pretty lucky to do it and so, let’s go out and have fun.”

The BEAA provides confidential, expert and independent support to elite athletes on a range of issue. Find out how you can get in contact with us.