Ben with James
Knife-edge decisions, adrenaline rushes, extreme weather, bitter rivalries, heart-stopping races - they are all in a day’s work for sailing’s ‘Superman’, Ben Ainslie.At just nineteen years old Ben, an ambitious and ferociously competitive young man, won his first Olympic medal- silver in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Ben has won four Olympic medals including successive gold’s in the last three Olympic Games, making him not only a British hero, but quite simply our greatest Olympic sailor ever. He is a true Olympic superstar, up there with the likes of fellow Olympians, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.
In addition to his three Olympic gold’s and one silver, Ben has won eight World and European Championships during his illustrious sailing career to date, been crowned ISAF World Sailor of the Year twice, and won British Yachtsman of the Year four times. Without question, Ben is the most accomplished competitor at work in British sport today. Although the likes of Chris Hoy, Lewis Hamilton and Rebecca Adlington, of course, deserve unreserved praise for all that they have achieved within their sports, the real adulation should be kept for Ainslie, who with a combination of dedication, stamina, tactical nous and an unrelenting level of ruthlessness, rarely witnessed before in British sport, has achieved almost all of his childhood dreams.
In an exclusive interview, Ben reveals the truth behind his incredible achievements and his plans to bid for a fourth gold, where it all began- on home waters- at the London Olympics in 2012.From his proudest moment, representing Team GB, to one tough decision that almost risked destroying his career, Ben gives an insight into his life and explains why he can’t be second best.
Ben Ainslie, CBE, was born in Macclesfield on February 5, 1977. As the son of Roderick Ainslie, one might expect a young Ben to take an interest in water sports- after all, his father captained the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973. Sitting in what can only be described as a box-room, Ben revealed how it all started and how he took his career to stratospheric levels. Rotating from side to side in a red swivel chair, Ben explains, “I was about eight when my family moved to Cornwall. It’s a great place for a kid to grow up, especially if you love the water because you’re by the sea. I was lucky, because we lived on the edge of a creek, off an estuary, so it was very easy to get down to the water and go out sailing whenever I wanted to.” He added, “My parents were keen sailors so they got me into the sport but purely from an enjoyment point of view. When I was nine I was given some hand me down, second hand dingy, which is what most kids learn to sail in and it went on from there.”
What started as a hobby, quickly turned into a way of life, and by the age of sixteen the talented sailor was already Laser Radial World Champion. Reflecting on his childhood, Ben said, “Where we lived was quite remote so it made catching up with my friends difficult, so sailing really became the big thing for me and my big focus as a kid. I came up through the youth divisions, like all other sports, so it was a gradual progression. It wasn’t one day that I suddenly woke up and decided I want to be a professional sailor or go to the Olympics. When I was 18 I won the Youth World Championships and three months later I won the Olympic trials for the ’96 Games. That was really the big turning point for me in terms of actually seeing it as a sport, where I could become a professional and I could do it full time.”
Looking rather relaxed, the Olympic legend revealed, “I think in many ways winning a silver medal was very good for me because it gave me the determination to go out four years later and work that much harder to go one step better- so it wasn’t all bad, although it was pretty frustrating at the time.” Four years later, Ben achieved every athlete’s dream, winning an Olympic gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Ben, a charming and affable spokesperson off the water, reveals just how ruthless he is on it, admitting to fierce rivalries, above all with the Brazilian, Robert Scheidt, yes that’s right, Scheidt, who robbed him of gold in his first Olympics four years previously. With a broad smile emblazoned across his face, Ben remarked, “It was an epic race with a man who has a fantastic name! It was one of those classic rivalries that had gone from ’96. In the four years leading up to Sydney, we were competing against each other in various events which either he or I would win. It came down to the final race in Sydney and I basically had to take him out- so it was some pretty aggressive tactics.”
Looking somewhat relieved, as he relived the marathon duel, Ben added, “It was incredibly intense but I managed to get there and do the job, so it was a huge relief. When you’ve got that sort of fierce rivalry against somebody, to actually come out on top was a massive relief more than anything.” What Ben did, to beat the Brazilian in Sydney, has been questioned in some quarters and regarded as unsporting by certain critics - not by me, I might add. Looking a little bemused, Ben explained, “It was a little bit frustrating at the time. There were a few sporting commentators who didn’t know anything about sailing who were questioning the fairness of it, but actually within the history of sailing it wasn’t that new and certainly I didn’t break any rules. It was just very aggressive sailing. But sometimes in any sport, that’s what you need to win”
In place of the tall and friendly man on shore, a darker and more driven character began to emerge. So, I wondered, where does this ruthless streak come from? After a brief pause, Ben said, “I don’t know. Like in all sports you have to be ruthless at certain points to get a result and to win.”
After the Sydney Olympics, Ben, who is an Honorary Doctor of Sport, at Southampton University, changed focus and spent fourteen months with the One World Challenge America’s Cup campaign. In 2004, Ben competed in the Athens Olympics and again won gold in the larger Finn class, only to return to the Cup, competing with the Emerates Team New Zealand as an after guard member and ‘B-boat’ helmsman. His most recent win was gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Ben commented, “The gold in Beijing was very special because it was my third consecutive gold which meant a lot.”
So has Ben dared to imagine what it would be like to be coming home for the gold medal, on home water, in Weymouth with the union flags flying? After a brief chuckle, Ben said, “It’s a scary thought. Winning a gold medal on home waters- where I grew up, learned to sail and trained- would be a pretty surreal feeling and something very special.”
It’s no secret that the British Olympic Association are targeting a number of key sports for medals- rowing, cycling and sailing are top of that list. It has been argued that these are all fairly exclusive sports, as you have to have a certain amount of backing behind you in order to compete. This argument however doesn’t stand up with the affable Olympian. "I think there’s always a bit of a misconception. All Olympic sports at the top level are elite, but if you go down to the grass roots in sailing, I think it’s one of the highest participation sports in the UK. The big thing is to encourage the youngsters to get involved and make them realise it’s not that hard at the grass roots to get into a sport. It’s then up to you to take it as far as you want."
Although kids all over the globe dream of representing their country and becoming the best in their chosen sport, Ben rather humbly admits he couldn’t have imagined achieving all he has. “When I was a kid I dreamed of maybe going to the Olympics and somehow winning a gold medal, and perhaps one day being involved with the America’s Cup, but I never dreamt I would be where I am today, but I doubt most people do.”
The affable sailor continued, “I think if you love doing something and you’re inspired, you set about on the track to try and do as well as you can and who knows where it will take you.” He added, “My success has been a result of a number of different things. Obviously a huge amount of hard work, which you need in any sport, but I’m also really fortunate to be supported by great people- coaches and sponsors. It’s amazing, with individual sports you only see one person out there competing, but the team normally behind these people is huge- so I’m very fortunate with the support I get.”
Having expressed his desire to race at the next Games in London, what advice would the charismatic Olympian give to those who wish to follow in his footsteps and, if possible, emulate all he has achieved? “The key is to enjoy it and to get involved. Sailing I think has come a long way in the last ten years. The likes of Ellen MacCarthur have really brought sailing into the living room and she’s really helped promote the sport, but it’s still got a long way to go.”
Close to the Wind, by Ben Ainslie, Published by Yellow Jersey.
