• London Olympics 2012

Ainslie pushed to the wire in Olympic qualification race

ESPN staff
September 21, 2011
Ben Ainslie has already won four Olympic medals © Rick Tomlinson
Enlarge

Ben Ainslie expressed his relief at securing his place at London 2012 after being given the chance to go for a fourth Olympic gold medal.

Ainslie will defend his Finn class title in Weymouth next summer, but with only one entry per nation permitted, Ainslie's selection comes at the expense of Ed Wright and Giles Scott, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world respectively.

Britain's sailors enjoyed a successful Olympics in 2008, taking home six medals, four of them gold, from Beijing. But because of Olympic selection criteria some of the world's best sailors will not be competing at London 2012.

While Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell are both expected to line up for Jamaica in the 100m in London, Wright and Scott will have to be content with their place as reserve in the Olympic squad.

Such is Britain's dominance in the Finn class, Ainslie's route to another Olympic medal is clearer than at the World Championships later this year, where he will line up against his British team-mates as well as international rivals.

"When you're competing at the elite level of any sport the competition is always tough as this comes with territory," Ainslie said. "However to be honest the latest one was particularly difficult - the added incentive of competing in an Olympics on home soil has inspired us all and made the qualifying process go right down to the wire.

"My rivals have pushed me all the way and it's a shame that we can't all be competing in Weymouth next year - the standard of competition has been second to none."

Victory on his home waters in Weymouth would see Ainslie claim a fourth gold medal, and with London 2012 set to be his final Olympics, Ainslie is relishing the chance to bow out on a high in front of his home fans.

"Being selected to represent your country in any competition is a real honour - but competing in an Olympic Games is very special," he said. "I feel really privileged to have been given the chance to compete on four previous occasions but it does feel different this time around knowing that I will be taking part in an Olympics in front of a home crowd which is obviously something I haven't experienced before.

"I'm not sure I can describe the feeling I will get when I step foot in my boat in front of the people in Weymouth - I think it will be one of those moments I will remember for a very long time."

With less than a year to go before the Games, Ainslie will team up as a UPS brand ambassador with Louis Smith, who became the first British gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal in a century when he won pommel horse bronze in Beijing.

With Ainslie preparing for the ISAF World Championships in Australia later his year, and Smith for the World Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo next month, Ainslie admits the pair haven't had a chance to meet up, but he is looking forward to swapping Olympic stories with Smith.

"Of course I will be more than happy to share some of my Olympic experience with him, but he's clearly an expert in his sport so it will be great to discuss how the skills and preparation for gymnastics compare to those needed for sailing," Ainslie said. " If we do chat maybe I can offer him a few thoughts on how I tend to prepare in an Olympic year."

Triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie will be documenting more of his journey towards the London 2012 Games on his UPS Ambassador blog found on www.ups.com/london2012

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close