Goudhurst sailor Freya Black on the countdown to Olympic Games at 49er FX World Championships in Lanzarote

As Goudhurst’s Freya Black knows, philosophy is an activity for those who seek to understand fundamental truths about their relationship to the world.

But the 22-year-old pressed pause on her degree in the subject to focus on more pressing matters - winning a medal at her first Olympic Games.

After punching her 49er FX ticket to Paris 2024 with a fifth-place finish at the World Sailing Championships in The Hague last summer, Black turned all attention to the run-in to her debut Games.

Alongside partner Saskia Tidey, Black is looking to land a statement performance at the 49er FX World Championships in Lanzarote, which begin today (Monday) with the pressure firmly off.

She said: “The Hague was so important to try and qualify for the nation, we had the added strain of our own trials and qualifying the nation.

“This World Championships feels slightly different because the whole of last year was training for that Worlds whereas this year, everything is leading up to the Games.

“We definitely want to put a marker down on in Lanzarote.

“Having selection early means you can plan so much better, you’re in a stable position and you can focus on Paris as the goal rather than having this World Championships as the goal to qualify.”

Black and Tidey train alongside their American and Italian competitors and their bond has grown strong, spending huge chunks of their year together.

Their relationship is not so friendly when it comes to competition time on the water and Black insists support from a tight-knit British Sailing team is what gives the duo an extra edge.

She said: “The team is so cool, what makes us different from a lot of the other nations is how close everyone is.

“Our good pals are Fynn Sterritt and James Peters, we work