Ayton happy to do homework in pursuit of another Olympic gold

By Ben Baker, Sportsbeat

SARAH Ayton admits she has gone back to school in a bid to learn the ins and outs of the 470 boat - and believes she will top the class come London 2012.

KEEN STUDENT: Sarah Ayton is happy to put in the homework as she learns new skills and a new boat for London 2012 (onEdition)

Ayton was forced to find a new boat shortly after claiming her second successive Olympic Yngling gold medal, because the class has been dropped from the 2012 schedule.

The 30-year-old struggled to decide what to do in 2009 and initially opting for the 470 with Athens and Beijing team-mate Pippa Wilson.

"This year is very different to next year because Saskia and I are still a new team and we are still working on different aspects of being a team in different weather conditions," said Ayton.

"We have set ourselves goals but they are not what we will expect of ourselves next year when we have more time in the boat and more time competing together.

"Every day is a school day right now and even though we are a new team, I think we have the makings of a great one and we are on course to do some pretty good things next year.

"We will step up our journey to 2012 and, with it just around the corner, it seems we are getting really excited about it and the prospect of competing for a medal. Even though my usual event won't be at London 2012 I am still excited about it and I don't think anything has changed really.

"The process is the same, the end goal is still the same, it is just a new challenge so why change something that works?"

Ayton and Clark finished 14th at the recent Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, which acted as the final leg of the ISAF World Cup series, in Weymouth - venue for both the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events.

However, they elected not to travel to this week's European Championships in Istanbul, preferring to maintain their training schedule with next year in mind.

While Ayton is a long way off her bid to become Britain's most decorated sailor with three Olympic titles, she is adamant she will slowly but surely get there with Penny Clark and Katrina Hughes her domestic rivals for Olympic selection.

"It would be an amazing achievement if that was the final outcome and I will be working hard to make sure I have the best possible chance," she said.

"I obviously have my own personal ambitions but, more importantly, we're a team and we don't want to let ourselves down.

"It is about working as a team and we both know we have a lot of work to do."