AS Saskia Clark and her sailing partner Hannah Mills were adorned with their sailing gold medals in Rio last night, one corner of Chichester was cheering particularly loudly.

The 36-year-old studied sport and exercise science at Chichester University and still receives help in nutrition and training from the institution through its contract with the Royal Yachting Association to work with elite sailors.

Her former tutor, Dr Neal Smith, yesterday told the Argus he was delighted but not surprised to see her on the podium.

He said: "She was very bubbly and very outgoing but also extremely determined. She was a very keen sailor, clearly, but she was also very competitive and serious about what she did, and always wanting to make a difference.

"The whole Chichester family is really very proud of her."

He said she was an inspiration to students at the university, which awarded both her and Hannah Mills honorary degrees following their silver medal success in the London Olympics in 2012.

The pair went into their last race in Rio last night all but assured a gold medal, their race delayed by one day due to lack of wind on Wednesday night.

Dr Smith added: "She is a very proud alumni of the university and of the area. She has always been very kind and complementary about the support that she got from Chichester.

"Experts talk about marginal gains in sport - the little things that make the big difference - and that is the type of help athletes get through the Royal Yachting Association programme."