LONDON 2012: Ainslie charting a course to be more decorated than Nelson

By James Toney, Sportsbeat

HE'S on plotting a course to become arguably the most decorated British sailor since Nelson but for a man who spends so much time on water, Ben Ainslie is admirably grounded.

FLYING THE FLAG: Following silver in Atlanta, when just a teenager, Ben Ainslie has won sailing gold at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games but his toughest London 2012 challenges comes from close to home (onEdition)

Ainslie was just 19 - even more prodigious than the dashing young midshipman Horatio - when he won silver behind Brazil’s Robert Scheidt in Atlanta.

Three Olympic titles have followed to mean Ainslie now has more gold medals on his chest than an Admiral of the Fleet and is considered one of Britain’s home medal bankers for next year’s Games.

But he knows it won’t be easy - only one British boat will be allowed to compete in the Finn class and domestic rival Giles Scott claimed the Olympic champion’s scalp, the first time he had been beaten in six years, at last year’s ISAF World Cup regatta, which was also staged at the London 2012 venue in Weymouth.

Scott did it again in Miami recently while another British sailor, Ed Wright, is Finn world champion and Mark Andrews and Andrew Mills are both considered talented rising stars.

Although form and experience has there place in the selectors decision making, Ainslie is leaving nothing to chance in his preparations, although a confident win at last week's Princess Sofia Trophy in Majorca, with Scott a distant second, will have helped boost confidence.

“Back in 1996 there were ten British sailors who were all very good and any one of them could have won the trials, thankfully it was me,” said Ainslie.

“I was just 18 and had nothing to lose, now I’m the old boy in the fleet doing my best just to hang on..

“It takes time to get your body used to all the strains you get sailing a Finn again but I’m definitely feeling less aches and pains now.” Three-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie

“Having that competition at national level is healthy, even if it’s also a little stressful. It pushes you to try harder because you know how hungry those young guys are and know they will be doing exactly the same. 

“Some of them have been working non-stop for for four years for this season but I like the challenge that I’m an underdog in terms of preparation.

“It’s going to be a battle to qualify, let alone win gold. However, it’s nice to know that if you are the best in Britain, you are automatically one of the best in the world, it shows how far British sailing has come in the 16 years.”

Ainslie spent two years out of Olympic class sailing after Beijing, skippering Britain’s Team Origin America’s Cup syndicate to win last year’s world match racing title.

Now he has no canny tactician, no grinding muscle and no crew to back him up. Ainslie’s relying only on his wits and experience to challenge for a fourth gold, which would make him the most successful Olympic sailor of all-time.

Last year he stepped back into the Finn but admitted he needed more work in the gym to build up the bulk needed to throw the 320 lbs dinghy around in the choppy waters of Portland Bay.

“There is always a bit of fear when you step back into a class after a spell out. You worry that things might have moved on while you have been away or that you are so far off the pace that to catch up with the rest of the guys is an impossibility. But I feel good at the moment,” added Ainslie.

“It was always going to take a while to get back to my peak fitness. I’m getting there and I’m pretty confident that by the summer, with all the hard work, I should be where I need to be.

“I spent two months in Australia over the new year and sailing in really big breezes really helped with my fitness.

“It is amazing how the body adapts and the only way you can get anywhere near getting back to full sailing fitness is by getting out there and putting yourself through all things your body is not familiar with doing anymore. 

“It takes time to get your body used to all the strains you get sailing a Finn again but I’m definitely feeling less aches and pains now.”