Giles Scott’s first victory over triple gold medallist Ben Ainslie was an important development in his Olympic ambitions but the pressure is now on the talented 23 year-old to stay ahead of Ainslie and win qualification for London 2012.
If he had achieved victory in the Finn class against a fully prepared Ainslie, the claim that a new era in British Olympic sailing had dawned would hold water, according to Skandia Team GBR manager Stephen Park.
“Ben had not been sailing much in the Finns so Giles always knew this was his opportunity to get in front of him. Now he has to stay in front of him,” Park said.
Scott won Britain’s only gold medal at Skandia Sail for Gold on Saturday despite finishing in eighth place in the final Finn race for 10 finalists from the week’s racing in Weymouth Bay, the venue for Olympic sailing in 2012. Ainslie finished fourth, just 6.4 points behind Scott.
Although Britain, the most successful Olympic sailing nation of the last three Games, took eight medals, half were bronze indicating a drop in performance.
“We were a bit disappointed but if we had medalled in the Star and Women’s Match Racing classes, as we had expected, things would have looked different,” said Park.
Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, who like Ainslie have been racing with Team Origin on the TP52 circuit, finished seventh in the Stars while Lucy MacGregor and her crew were fifth in the match racing.
“We are two years out from the Olympics and these results will ensure this is no complacency,” Park added.
Related posts:
- Giles Scott takes the lead in the Finns Skandia Sail for Gold report
- Ben Ainslie back in the Finn at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (9 – 14 August 2010)
- Ben Ainslie Finn return at Skandia Sail for Gold 2010 – Day 1
- BBC TV to feature Olympic sailing hopefuls
- Ben Ainslie has work to do as Britons vie for 12 medals at Skandia Sail for Gold
