Ben Ainslie or Giles Scott?

Ainslie


Who will represent Great Britain in the Olympic Finn class at Weymouth in 2012? Will it be Ben Ainslie or Giles Scott, the up-and-coming talented sailor who was only 13 when Ben won his first gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000?


The rules stipulate that there can only be one sailor representing each participating country. Sailors in the Finn class will be required to compete in 11 races, but they will be able to discard their worst result after completing five races. The winner of a race will score one point and the person coming second will score two points, and so on. The person who ends up with the least points scored over a series is the winner. Competition is fierce among today’s younger generation of sailors, but Giles Scott is proving his form by recently beating Ben at the Miami World Cup Regatta in the Finn Class and at the Sail for Gold Regatta last August.

Scott


However, past form and experience would indicate that Ben could be the one who will compete on behalf of his country. He has three Olympic gold medals to his credit: Sydney 2000 in the Laser class; Athens 2004 in the Finn class and Beijing 2008 in the Finn class. Ben has ample time to hone his skills and reach peak form before the showdown at Weymouth.* He is highly motivated to achieve something that has not been done before, i.e., win four gold medals in sailing events at the Olympics. The 34 year old, three times Sailor of the Year, Ben Ainslie, has a steely determination to succeed, but he does no underestimate the challenge posed by Giles. Both sailors badly want this medal, but only one of them will have the chance to realise their dream of becoming the Olympic Finn champion.

The determined eyes of Ben


*Notes

Sailing events at Weymouth will take place between 29th July and 11 August, 2012. The final Finn race on 5th August will reveal who gets the Gold.


Links


Ben Ainslie

http://www.benainslie.com/


Ben Ainslie Promo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wavebpDWmd4&feature=player_embedded#at=112


Ben Ainslie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Ainslie


The Telegraph – Ben Ainslie

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8355509/London-2012-Olympics-Ben-Ainslie-ready-for-Games-qualification-battle-as-he-pursues-fourth-gold-medal.html


Ainslie eyeing return to form

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02032011/58/ainslie-eyeing-return-form.html


Giles Scott Achievements

http://gilesscott.co.uk/achievements


Giles Scott leads GB medal charge in Weymouth

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/sailing/8914599.stm


Scott Giles pips Ben Ainslie in Miami World Cup Regatta

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/sailing/9381270.stm


Giles Scott Biography

http://www.sailing.org/biog.php?memberid=40671


Pressure on Giles Scott to keep his advantage over Ben Ainslie

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/sailing/ben-ainslie/7946999/Pressure-on-Giles-Scott-to-keep-his-advantage-over-Ben-Ainslie.html