TOM Squires will get his first taste of competitive action for six months in Switzerland today.

The 27-year-old, from Kingston Bagpuize, is one of the British Sailing Team’s 15-strong group in the iQFOiL event in Silvaplana.

Not only is it his first competition since the RS:X World Championships in February, but Squires will also be using new equipment.

The iQFOiL class will come in for the Paris 2024 Olympics to replace RS:X, which will be used at next year’s Games in Tokyo.

But Squires is ready to take on the challenge and is looking forward to seeing how he fares.

He said: “Although I’m still fully preparing for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics on the RS:X, any chance I have to race internationally is a bonus right now, even if it’s on the foil.

“This could be the only chance to race this year, so I’m going to embrace it.”

The windsurfer will be in the hunt for medals in Switzerland, with the competition finishing on Wednesday.

Squires has been based at British Sailing’s Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy since returning to training in May.

He will return to RS:X equipment for the European Championships in Athens this November, before making a permanent switch to iQFOiL after next summer’s Olympics.