Next Year is Big Ben's Summer To Shine

I spent the other afternoon in the company of Mr Ben Ainslie, Olympic legend, world's best sailor and a man going for a fourth Olympic gold medal in Weymouth next year.

It was, as always a pleasure. The thing about Ben is that whilst on the outside he seems to be a charming, modest, easy-going chap, underneath there is a ruthless killer, at least when he is out on a boat racing. You don't win three gold medals in three successive Games any other way.

He has, in fact, four Olympic medals, because he also won silver in the Laser back at the 1996 Olympic Games staged in Atlanta, although the sailing took place on the coast at Savannah. To this day the silver irks him. He doesn't see it as a wonderful achievement by a 19-year-old, but an opportunity lost to claim gold. Still, three golds and a silver isn't too shabby in four Olympics, and who would bet against him making it five medals, and four golds in five back-to-back Games next year in the Finn class? I know I won't.

I'm with Sir Steve Redgrave, who knows a thing or two about winning golds. As impressive as Chris Hoy (4 golds, 1 silver) and Brad Wiggins (3 golds, 1 silver, 2 bronzes) are when it comes to Olympic exploits, they both compete in a sport - cycling - where it is possible to win multiple medals at one Games. In Ainslie's case, as it was with Redgrave, it is one shot, one opportunity (to coin a phrase from Eminem) every four years. So get ready for Big Ben's summer. You may not all be into sailing. You may not all understand the nuances of what the man does, and how the man wins. But you will all recognise one fact: Ben Ainslie is up there at the top table of Olympic stars and after next summer he will deserve to break bread with Redgrave.