A tough venue, but they wouldn't have it any other way

Some old hands from previous Olympic Sailing Competitions now stand on the eve of Rio 2016, looking forward to what could be one of the most unpredictable contests in the history of Olympic sailing.

Evi Van Acker is entering her third Olympic Games and the Belgium is gunning for the gold that she came so close to winning four years ago at London 2012. “Beijing was my first Olympics, I was 22 years old, and I didn’t know what to expect.” She finished eighth on that occasion. “In London I was much better prepared and that was a great experience, winning the bronze was amazing but I still made some mistakes, especially in that final Medal Race. But I felt I had more to achieve, and I was still eager to continue. So this is my third Olympic Games but even if I’m older I still love what I do, it’s my passion.”

London 2012 was Mat Belcher’s first Olympic Games, sailing with Malcolm Page who had won the 470 gold medal four years earlier in China when he was crewing for Nathan Wilmot. Belcher and Page went on to clinch the gold from Great Britain in the Medal Race. When Page retired from Olympic competition, it was Belcher’s turn to be the voice of experience when he continued on the 470 trail with Will Ryan. “It’s amazing how the roles reverse pretty quickly. I never thought I’d be the old guy, but I’m one of the oldest in the team now, I turn 34 just after the Games. It’s a great experience to go through what Mal through and that different approach really helped in this transition with Will. This partnership has been amazing for us, I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve been in the boat with Will.”

Weymouth offered pretty stable weather patterns and predictable currents. The same cannot be said of Rio, where no two days are the same. For the Australian favourites, defending the gold medal is not going to be easy. If Belcher is daunted, he doesn’t sound it. “From going from a fairly stable venue to a very variable one makes it very challenging, but also very exciting for sailing. It looks like we’re going to get basically everything. It’s so diverse and that’s what you want as a sailor, to be able to test yourself in a complete range of conditions, sea states, your understanding of currents. The racing’s going to be awesome.”

Another Aussie gold medallist from London 2012 is Nathan Outteridge who dominated the racing four years ago with friend and team mate Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen. Outteridge agrees with Belcher’s assessment of the venue. “It’s a very different venue to London with the currents and the wind patterns and how changeable it is. It’s also a much shorter regatta, so you’ve got to get it right on the first day. In the past you’d have this approach that ‘you can’t win on the first day, but you can lose it’, but here it’s a bit of a mix of the two. Our goal is not to be leading after day one, but certainly to be in the hunt and that will set us up for the rest of the week.”

Winning an Olympic gold is never easy, but for the favourites, Rio 2016 could hardly be tougher. Luck must surely play its part in the outcome, although Belcher sounds relaxed about its possible effect. “I’m a firm believer that you create your own luck, but this venue has shown that you have to have some luck, and be in a position to take advantage of it when it comes your way.”

By Andy Rice – World Sailing

RIO 2016 OLYMPIC SAILING COMPETITION USEFUL LINKS
World Sailing Olympic Website – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/home.php
Rio 2016 Schedule – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/about/schedule.php#.V5Yw346BLqM
Rio 2016 Olympic Sailors – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/qualification/sailors.php#.V5Yw946BLqM