Emma Rennie: Oxford student on learning from Ellie Aldridge and balancing her passions

The 18-year-old, who is competing for Great Britain at the 2025 Youth Sailing World Championships, has the same Portland training base as Ellie Aldridge, who became the first female Formula Kite champion in Olympic history at Paris 2024.

Rennie could yet be the next cab off the rank but for now, she has plenty to keep her busy on and off the water, combining her kiting ambitions with studying Human Sciences at Oxford University.

“I am in my first year – it is a lot to balance but I enjoy doing a bit of everything, I don’t want to focus on one thing,” she said.

“I am quite disciplined so I have been getting my work done during the week so that I can focus on kiting on the weekends or holidays.

“There is Biology, Biochemistry, Anthropology and Sociology within my degree, so there is a lot of breadth of work, but the balance is great. It is a quick train down to the coast and I can practice.

“Ellie has been the one to look at, she is very inspiring with how she has managed to get that gold and the dedication she shows.

“I have bumped into her many times. We don’t train with her, she is obviously a bit above that level, but it is great to see what she has done.”

Rennie made her debut at this event in Lake Garda last year, finishing fourth, and endured a frustrating start in Vilamoura, where kiters were left kicking their heels on the shore for the opening two days of competition.

It was a test of her resolve but one she passed, with impressive performances once she got on the water keeping her in the thick of the medal hunt going into the final day.

“I do get quite nervous before the first race of a regatta,” she said.

“It is just reminding yourself that when a race starts, you focus on what you have to do, look around you, have your pre-race routine and that calms me down.

“If the wind is a bit dodgy, everyone is in the same boat, so you just have to process that rather than stressing out about it. You can’t control the conditions, you just have to adapt to it.

“I have preferred this one to Garda as we are all staying in one hotel. I have met loads of other classes, and there’s a sauna and spa, so you can do proper recovery.

“It has been a great event to get to know other classes and within the British team, it is good to get their insights into the wind on the day. Sometimes in kiting, as everything is happening so fast, you don’t focus in on shifts as intensely as they do, so it has been really interesting to get their insights and apply that to my racing.”

Rennie began her sailing journey in oppies aged eight before both she and her elder sister were taught kitesurfing by their dad in late 2020. A year later, she began kite foiling and took part in her first competition in 2023.

Success has followed, with the Londoner finishing as the second U19 at the U21 European Championships this year, and she is looking forward to continuing to keep her various plates spinning.

“I really want to balance both,” she said. “I’ll finish my degree and then have a few years where I can maybe focus on kiteboarding or focus on some of the other water sports I love.

“I love winging, I love kitesurfing, I love a bit of everything. Keeping them all going so I can do everything is the goal.”

Rennie, who has Drake on her pre-race playlist when she needs ‘get hyped up’, cites La Ventana, Mexico, as her favourite place to have kited, having spent the last two Christmases there. Festivities this year will take place in north-east Brazil, tying in a visit to her sister, who is studying in South America.

Naturally, she will take the opportunity to get out on the water as she hones her skills ahead of another busy year, when she will resume racing against competitors who have quickly become friends.

“The community is my favourite thing about this event,” she said.

“No-one is closed off, it is a big international family.

“When we were waiting on the beach to start here, everyone was just hanging out and having fun.

“If anything, that calmed the nerves before going into the race. It is a very welcoming community.”