LONDON 2012: Goodison hoping it pays to be single-minded in pursuit of gold

By James Toney, Sportsbeat

WHEN you are a single-handed sailor it pays to be single-minded. You check the charts, set a course and damn the consequences.

CONFIDENT: Great Britain's Paul Goodison believes he has his tactics spot on for the defence of his Olympic Laser title in Weymouth next year 

Paul Goodison was all conquering in the build-up to the Beijing Olympics, arriving in breezy Qingdao as one of Britain's medal bankers.

But defending your title is never as easy. As a boy Goodison idolised Daley Thompson, who claims winning his second Olympic decathlon title in 1984 was ten times harder than his first four years previously in Moscow.

And when you add pressure of home water advantage at London 2012 - plus a talented crop of up and coming British sailors in Goodison's competitive Laser class - and the difficult task ahead is only compounded.

But Goodison, 34, remains steady on the tiller and is refusing to panic after experiencing choppy waters last year.

He failed to win a sixth consecutive European title, lost to Australian rival Tom Slingsby at the ISAF World Cup, held at the London 2012 venue in Weymouth, and finished a distant ninth when defending his world title on the Solent.

And British team-mate Nick Thompson has been banking some impressive results, with selectors only able to choose one home sailor for next year's Olympic regatta.

"Every time I compete I expect to win but last year was about keeping things ticking over and keeping focussed on next year," said Goodison, who is part of the Volvo Sailing team that includes three-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie.

"An Olympic campaign is a four year thing - you have to start planning as soon as one Games finishes and I'm still happy with where I am."

In sailing, strategy is key and Goodison still believes he has formulated the right plan, one that may just start to be paying off following a recent win at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Majorca, a major confidence boost ahead of next week's ISAF World Cup regatta in Hyeres.

He will spend hours on the water at the Olympic venue in Weymouth, hoping to learn how to spot every shift of the wind and turn of the tide before his rivals.

Along with partner Saskia Clark, who is also part of the British sailing team, Goodison has a house that overlooks the water on which he hopes to secure success in just under 500 days time.

"Weymouth is going to be my home, there won't be quite as much travelling around the world for me. I want to spend as much quality time on the water as possible in May and June,” he added.

"This year's Sail for Gold in Weymouth regatta is a big aim, winning that is a major target for 2011. If I can perform well then I will be taking real momentum into the pre-Olympic campaign.

"There is also an official test event in August and that will be massive. Everything is being trailed for the Olympics and it will feel almost like the Games themselves. There will be all the big names and lots of pressures, that's where I perform at my best.”

However, with more than 100 boats contesting every stop on the ISAF World Cup circuit, Goodison knows his dominance of recent years has painted a target on the broadside of his boat.

"Every one is stepping up their game, every season is more competitive than the last," he adds.

"You can't stand still in this sport, you need to be constantly working at developing your skills and improving. Do nothing and you will win one year and won't make the top five the next.

"It's not just the international competitors but it's the guys at home as well. They all want it as badly as I do, we are all equally hungry and determined. Everybody has their own plan and system, mine is just all about winning in 2012."

Goodison’s next test will be the ISAF World Cup regatta in Majorca, where he has spent the last few weeks training.

However, he recently returned to Weymouth for a ranking regatta with his British rivals and team-mates, getting the better of closest rival Thompson and winning four out of the five races, the experience of 17 years sailing Lasers coming to the fore when it starts to matter most.

Goodison has certainly come a long way from the young boy who learned to sail on Ulley Reservoir aged four and whose first major prize was the Yorkshire Young Sailor of the Year award in 1994.

And on August 6th next year, with a fair following wind, his place in history could be guaranteed.