Scott Determined to Take Ainslie On

He is a name not known to the general public but Giles Scott just might be the man who stops Ben Ainslie from even competing at his home Olympics in 2012, let alone winning a staggering fourth gold medal.

The 23-year-old beat Ainslie last week in the Finn Class at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at Weymouth on the same waters that will stage the Olympic sailing in two years’ time. In doing so the apprentice took the prized scalp of the sorcerer.

Scott, who also won in Parma this year and took a bronze in the world cup, won the Regatta while Ainslie, who took Olympic gold in the Finn Class in Beijing and Athens, to add to his gold and silver in the Laser Class in Sydney and Atlanta, trailed in fourth.

With the British Olympic selection policy of just one representative per class stringent it sets up an intriguing battle between Scott, who was part of Ainslie’s training class designed to help prepare Britain’s greatest sailor for the 2008 Beijing Games, and Ainslie who, if he were to win a fourth gold in Weymouth, would be certain to join Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and Chris Hoy as sporting knights of the realm.

“Ben’s always been my idol and mentor and to beat him last week has done wonders for my confidence and self-belief,” Scott explained, before flying off to San Francisco to compete in next week’s Finn World Championships which Ainslie will miss.

When I was ten years old I went to a Regatta in 1997 and managed to get my jumper signed by Ben. I’ve never told him that but I’ve still got it at home. In 2008 I was one of four sailors who trained with Ben in order to get him up to speed for the Beijing Olympics. I was the sailing equivalent of a sparring partner. I have fed off Ben’s incredible drive and success and feel no longer like a training partner, but now a direct challenger to him.”

Some perspective needs to be placed here because Ainslie had not stepped into a Finn since claiming gold in Beijing and, only the week before Weymouth, had skippered the considerably larger and crewed Team Origin, Britain’s Americas Cup boat, to victory over current Americas Cup holders BMW Oracle in a series of races in the Solent.   

But Scott is still taking everything from his achievement. “Of course I appreciate Ben was not prepared in the way he would be for an Olympics but I still see it as a win being a win and if I continue to beat him then I’d expect the selectors to pick me for the 2012 Olympics.”

Of all the boats to choose to sail for Britain Scott went for the class dominated by Ainslie, a decision that does not faze him a jot. “Like Ben I started in the Laser but grew too big and heavy for it so moved up to the Finn. The fact that Ben sails the Finn and has proved to be almost unbeatable never came into it. It’s all about the best boat for me. I want to be the best and in order to do so I need to beat the best which, in this case, happens to be Ben.

"There’s a long way to go, anything can happen and there’s no way Ben’s just going to roll over and let me beat him again, but if I do get selected ahead of him for 2012 it will be on merit and I would go to the Games knowing that I had beaten the best in the world and one of the all-time greats to get there. With that knowledge I’d be very confident of winning gold myself.

“I’d appreciate that people might be surprised and even disappointed if Ben failed to make it to Weymouth but he’d be the first to expect the selectors to pick on merit and form, not reputation and I’m sure he’ll give it his best shot between now and when the team is selected.”

Over the course of the next year the pair will scrap it out in a series of Regattas before the Olympic sailing squad is announced, promising an intense rivalry fighting for the coveted prize of competing at Weymouth.

Scott, who lives in Weymouth, insists he and Ainslie will remain friends but accepts this will not be the case on the water any more.

“Ben was the first to congratulate me last week after the Sail for Gold Regatta and I’m sure we’ll get along fine like we always have. We’ll probably be at the same training camps for some of the time but I’ll focus on what I have to do and have a totally separate campaign to Ben.

“After that it’s down to results and, ultimately, the selectors but I won’t be wracked with guilt if I get the nod and deprive of Ben of his chance of a fourth gold medal. I’ll see it as my chance of a first gold medal.”