By Fitzgerald Cecilio

All eyes will be on Ben Ainslie of Great Britain as he guns for his fourth Olympic gold in the Finn sailing event of the London Games.

Ainslie will go up against 23 other Finn sailors from different countries when Olympic competition starts on the North Course on July 29.

"We've got a pretty strong squad and have done for the last three or four Olympics. You might have great strength in depth going into the Games but you've got to work very hard on the day," Ainslie earlier said.

Ainslie said he wasn't concerned by pressure put on him by fans and press to win gold in the Summer Games.

"The pressures will be higher than ever but I don't think they will match my internal desire for success," added Ainslie, who won the gold in the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympics and silver in the 2006 Atlanta Games.

If Ainslie wins the gold in London, he will eclipse Paul Elvstrom of Denmark as the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. Elvstrom won four Olympic sailing gold medals from 1948 to 1960.

Elvstrom captured his first gold medal at the London 1948 Olympic Games in the Firefly before moving to the Finn where he won gold in Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960 Olympics.

Ainslie is the overwhelming favorite in the event, especially after he dominated the Finn Gold Cup recently against some of rivals for Olympic gold. Ainslie won seven out of nine races to clinch a 20-point lead over Ed Wright of Great Britain and a mammoth 54-point edge over Denmark's Jonas Hogh Christensen.

Out to contest Ainslie are Zach Railey of the United States, Athens 2004 bronze medalist Vasilij Zbogar of Slovenia, Sweden's Daniel Birgmark, Brazil's Jorge Zarif and Czech Republic's Michael Maier, the oldest competitor at 48.

"There's a good camaraderie in the Finn class. Tensions can be high but you've got to look after yourself. The level is very high so it makes it a lot of fun," Christensen said.

 

 

Ben Ainslie Eyes Fourth Olympic Gold in Finn Sailing Event