Launeston windsurfer Sam Sills is breathing a sigh of relief after sealing Team GB an Olympic quota spot at the Allianz Sailing World Championships.

Sills finished fifth in the men's iQFoil event in The Hague, with a top-10 finish the mark to qualify the nation for Paris 2024.

Achieving that goal meant a weight off the shoulders for the 30-year-old following a testing 2023.

"I'm exhausted," he said. "It was really difficult and it's been a really difficult year for me.

"But I'm just really relieved to be able to qualify the nation for a spot a Paris 2024 next year.

"I had a really good start early in the week and probably could have gone all the way to the medals but my semi-final performance was quite hard.

"It was just exhausting, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

"Getting that quota spot means that we can now prioritise getting ready for Paris and hopefully will give us a good advantage.

"It's a huge relief, because if we didn't do it now, it would make the whole qualifying lot more complicated.

"I really felt the pressure of the country to not let the country down and make sure that we did it.

"We're just thrilled to do it now and I can breathe a sigh of relief."

Sills started his year riding the highs of gold at the Princesa Sofia Regatta and silver at the iQFoil Games.

But a recent injury, having been knocked off his scooter on the way to training, resulted in a disappointing performance at the Olympic Test Event in Marseille last month.

Now, having surged back into the top 10 less than two months on from nearly breaking his wrist, Sills hopes that his lead up to Paris 2024 will be a little kinder.

"It's always pretty stressful having to bounce back from injury and form but I'm really happy to have got that together," he said.

"I can do it, which is great to see leading into an Olympic year.

"But I hope things will be a little bit easier going forward because it's very difficult to keep having to come back.

"It's really nice to know that I can be up there.

"I'm now off on holiday to Mallorca, where I can just relax and hopefully plan a lot of my year ahead of the Olympics.

"I'm really looking forward to it because it will be my first proper rest in about five years, so that is going to be quite special."

Follow the British Sailing Team after the Sailing World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, on Instagram at @britishsailing