Ali and Mariah joined together in the summer of 2016. Mariah transitioned from several years of junior racing most recently in the 29er, and Ali from her 470 Olympic campaign. They quickly realized that they got along very well and believed they could quickly become competitive. This belief was quickly confirmed at the 49er FX North Americans in 2016 where they finished 2nd.
Their 2017 season was focused around the 49erFX Junior World Championships, where they finished the event in 5th place – qualifying for the Canadian National Development Team. In addition, that season they won the Canadian Championships as well as the Oakcliff Triple Crown series.
With that positive affirmation, they began to put together a full Olympic program with an intense training and racing schedule competing on the World Cup circuit for the 2018 season. At their first ever World Championship, tenHove and Millen finished 30th overall in the highly competitive international fleet - qualifying for gold fleet and national team status.
Focused on their Olympic goal, ten Hove and Millen continue to push the pace during this 2019 season. Continuing to climb the international rankings, the duo finished 15th place (11th country overall) at the 2019 European Championships in Weymouth, UK. Achieving the top ever Canadian finish at this event. The team has also qualified for the Pan Am Games which will take place in August of 2019. This event will be an Olympic qualification event and a chance to qualify Canada for a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Upcoming performance events for 2019 include the Pan Am Games (Lima, Peru - August), Olympic Test Event (Enoshima, Japan - August) and the 2019 World Championships (Auckland, New Zealand - December).
In order to execute a successful world-class Olympic campaign, proper equipment and funding is vital. As they take the necessary next steps to continue progressing up the international rankings their campaign costs must increase. By becoming involved in this Olympic Campaign, you will be supporting two young women who have the ambition to be successful in everything they do; from following their dream of representing Canada at the Olympic Games, to being successful in their future professional careers. Let's support this theme of pursuing excellence and help win Canada a medal at the 2020 Olympic games!