Having begun sailing aged just five,[2] Heathcote, whose uncle is from two-time Olympic silver medal-winning sailor Nick Rogers,[2][3] won multiple accolades at age-group levels and joined the British Sailing Team in 2019.[2]
She claimed the women's gold medal at the 2019 420 World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal, alongside Milly Boyle.[4][5]
At the same venue, she won bronze with Ryan Orr in the mixed category at the 2021 470 European Championship.[6][7]
Heathcote formed a new mixed 470 partnership with two-time Olympian Chris Grube for the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, where they finished 13th, narrowly missing out on qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[1][3]
However, in March 2024, the duo took silver at the 470 World Championships in Mallorca, Spain, which, when combined with another British boat coming ninth, was enough to secure a last-minute qualifying quota place for the Games in Paris.[3][8][9]
Later that month Team GB officially confirmed the pairing's selection making Heathcote the youngest member of the 2024 British Olympic Sailing team.[10][11][12]
In May 2024, Heathcote and Grube came 16th at the 2024 470 European Championship held at the Yacht Club de Cannes in France.[13][14]
At the Olympics, Heathcote and Grube finished 11th, missing out on the final day medal race by one place having ended one point off the top ten.[15][16]
