Note first of all that Ben Ainslie, already the holder of two Olympic gold medals in two different classes and the winner of the last four Finn World Championships, is not just focusing on Beijing in 2008. He's already looking ahead to the London Olympics in 2012.
Then note his training program, with the Olympics still three years away.
"Wakes at 7 in the morning and does 90 minutes of stretching before heading to the water for an hour of boat work and four hours of punishing water-based training before finishing off with an hour of weights. Romantic it ain'’t."
It's also significant that the article is really about how this sailing rockstar is taking time out to inspire and coach kids who are interested in sailing.
But maybe the most basic answer to why the UK has been the most successful nation in Olympic sailing in recent years is to be found in the footnotes to the article. According to the article, since 1994, the National Lottery has invested more than 78 million pounds in sailing at elite and community levels throughout the UK and has invested 3 million pounds into the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy a venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
That's some serious investment. Watch out for the Brits in Beijing.
Me - I'm off to do some stretching.
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