Clark believes 2012 campaign with Ayton is ahead of schedule

By Ben Baker, Sportsbeat

SASKIA Clark believes her London 2012 quest alongside two-time Olympic champion Sarah Ayton is ahead of schedule after the duo's first season together.

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM: Saskia Clark believes she and Sarah Ayton are ahead of schedule in their 2012 pursuit

Clark and Ayton could only manage 14th place in the duo's first season together in the 470 class, having taken the decision to join forces in the spring.

Ayton - one of Great Britain's ‘three blondes on a boat' - has captured Yngling gold at the last two Olympics but after the event was jettisoned from the London 2012 programme, she had a tough decision to make.

Eventually she decided her future lay in the 470 along with Clark, who finished sixth at Beijing 2008 with Christine Bassadone, who has since opted to take an extended break from the sport.

Clark and Ayton have plenty of reasons for optimism, even though they finished the season in 11th overall in the season-ending ISAF World Cup in Weymouth, chalking up their first World Cup victory together in Kiel in June.

And while the Brits were never in contention at the London 2012 venue in Weymouth last month, Clark believes the pair are ahead of schedule. 

"While it would have been nice to end on a high at Weymouth but the more important thing for us was to just to get down here and learn," said Clark.

"We are still learning a lot about ourselves as a team and learning through our mistakes and this opportunity to come here and see everyone else from around the world here was invaluable.

"The thing we have to do now is build and start bringing up the consistency. That is when you know you are one of the best - when you can do it week in and week out.

"Obviously London 2012 is the end point for us and that is what we are working towards but we still have a lot to learn and a lot of things to iron out and we are aware of this.

"We know we have a lot to learn and a lot of mistakes to make ahead of two years' time but we are both really determined to not just get to London 2012 but be competitive too so we are doing all we can to make sure we do that."

In pursuit of London 2012 success, both Ayton and Clark have relocated to the south coast and both live just a stone's throw away from the Olympic venue.

Ayton's Olympic quest is a family affair with husband Nick Dempsey the 2009 world wind surfing champion while Clark is shacked up with other half Paul Goodison, the Olympic laser champion.

And Clark is leaving no stone unturned in her pursuit of her own Olympic success.

"We both live in Weymouth and Sarah has been down here for a while but I moved down here solely for the Games and that shows the determination we have," she added.

"London 2012 in Weymouth is going to be fantastic and obviously we hope we are going and we are competitive but we are taking everything step by step. We are not getting ahead of ourselves and trying to stay grounded.

"Obviously we are a new pair but I think that London 2012 should be perfect peaking time for us."