Emilie Wade: Fijian rising star on reuniting with legendary uncle and her sailing ambitions

Emilie Wade, 15, is a rising star in Fijian sailing and comes from a family steeped in the sport. Her grandfather, Anthony Colin Philp, is an Olympian who is now President of Oceania Sailing Federation, while Wade is the niece of Tony Philp, who represented Fiji at five Olympics, won 13 individual windsurfing world titles and four overall world crowns.

The apple has not fallen far from the tree and Wade is lining up in the iQFOiL class in Vilamoura, with Philp Jnr ready to offer any words of wisdom from the shore.

“He moved away to France when I was little and this is my first time seeing him for eight years,” Wade said.

“I am too young to have watched him, his events were ages ago! But my parents would talk to me about him and I would hear stories from other people.

“I would just think ‘wow, my uncle is so cool’. Even when we were apart, I kept hearing about him, he is a legend back home.

“All the sailors are like ‘oh yeah, Tony Philp’, and I’m like ‘that’s my uncle’!”

 

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Wade’s ambitions to follow in those footsteps have been supported by World Sailing’s Youth Emerging Nations Program (ENP), which helps performance sailors under 19 reach their potential through a variety of support options.

This is her first taste of the Youth Sailing World Championships and she is excited to soak up all it has to offer.

“It is a really good experience as this is my first international event, as well as my first proper race in iQFOiL,” she said.

“I have definitely been improving with the help of the ENP which is really good, especially because in Fiji it’s just me.

“The coaches are really good, and I’ve also been gathering information from other athletes on the programme, which has been really helpful.

“It is very nerve-wracking being here. When I first came, I was like ‘this is amazing’ but also a bit like ‘oh my god!’. But it has been really nice to meet everyone and the Opening Ceremony was so cool.

“Hopefully in the future I can be a bit more comfortable with it and not as nervous.”

Wade is already developing routines to help her cope with the understandable butterflies that come with appearing at her first global event, with useful mantras passed down from her parents never far from her thoughts.

“My Dad has three rules,” she said. “He’s like ‘anywhere you go, any situation, use these three rules’.

“Rule number one is don’t panic. Rule number two, in Fiji we say Tabu Soro, which means never give up, and number three is courage and kindness.

“I have stuck by those three rules my whole life and it is very effective, especially when you’re out sailing.

“It is really important not to drown in your thoughts, and instead to go out and do something to distract you from it, do something that makes you happy and relaxed.

“I might go take a walk, listen to music, or talk to my friends and coaches. Back home, with my coaches, I’m always like ‘let’s not talk about sailing, let’s talk about life’.

“I also do art, as do all of my family, and having a hobby like that when you need a break is a really good strategy.”

Thrill-seeking is in the genes and Wade is no different, with the teenager a self-confessed adrenaline junkie.

Skydiving and bungee jumping are on her to-do list but for now, her focus is on representing her country.

“The sailing community back home is very small but really nice,” she said. “Fiji is a really nice place to sail – good wind, good scenery, animals and friendly people.

“Here in Vilamoura, the wavers are choppier and the wind is colder! But I can’t wait to race.”