LYMINGTON sailor Sophie Weguelin made a successful competitive comeback at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi.

After recovering from deep vein thrombosis, Weguelin partnered Eilidh McIntyre to a surprise silver medal in the women’s 470 class event After starting 2014 off on a high, winning alongside McIntyre in Miami at the Sailing World Cup in January, Weguelin was diagnosed with DVT in the summer after returning from a training event in Rio.

“I spent quite a lot of time making sure I was talking to the right people about the DVT,” she said.

“The Sports Science team within the British Sailing team gave me a huge amount of help and support and assisted me in finding the correct doctors.

“At times I hated them for what they were saying, but they always had my health and the goal of getting back in the water at the forefront of their mind.

“I was lucky enough to get an appointment at St Thomas’ Hospital in London where I saw a specialist in thrombosis and hemophilia.

“The doctor, thankfully, had done a bit of sailing previously so he had an idea of what the risks were in my training.

“Knowing about boats, they were able to give me tips on precautionary measures I could take when sailing.

“For example, making sure I have something between my leg and the boat, so I’m not hiking out on the small edge of the boat, wearing a thicker wetsuit or some hiking pads, and wearing compression stockings and tablets to take when I fly.”

She added: “It was nice to step back from it all for a bit, it’s made me appreciate how lucky I am to do what I do.

“I haven’t done a lot of office work or actual work experience before, so work experience (at sailing PR company Into the Blue) was interesting, just to put myself in a different environment and see things from a different perspective.

“It’s something I’d be interested in doing in the future I think, although, I don’t have a confirmed plan for what to do when I finish sailing.”

Weguelim returned to the water competitively for the first time in over three months in Abu Dhabi for the ISAF Sailing World Cup final.

The pair exceeded their own expectations, winning the medal race by 21 seconds, elevating themselves into silver medal position after starting the day in fifth place.