Rio Games: Taking the Test

Quite likely the Olympic boat nearly every sailor has seen or sailed is the Laser. First introduced at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, current Laser World Champion Nick Thompson (GBR) share his sentiments about preparing for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil…

This is now my sixth time in Rio, and each of those trips has been quite long. I think I’m starting to become quite comfortable with the place and the waters. There are issues with spending a lot of time here which have been widely talked about, and risks associated with that, but I think that our team is doing a fantastic job of managing those and trying to stay on top of them, from day to day living to the things we’re doing on the water.

I feel pretty comfortable now, almost safe in the environment, which compared to my first trip here is a totally different feeling. I’m happy with the place and I’m learning a lot from the conditions on the water.

Rio is a great city and there are lots of things to do. At the moment I’ve been so knackered on some of my rest days that I’ve spent most of them resting, but I know some of the guys have been hiking up some of the mountains and hills and that’s something I am very keen to try and do. It’s a nice place to hang out and there’s always a good atmosphere here. I find it a pretty relaxing place to be in.

The racing for the Aquece Rio Olympic Test Event (August 13-22) will be slightly different, with only 37 boats – a similar number to the Olympic Games. I think the racing will be a lot tighter and those couple of points that you leave on the race track are going to be more important.

The Laser is a tricky class to pick a favourite in. There are a number of sailors who are able to perform well. But I’m really just worried about my own performance. I’ll try to do the best I can and really play to my strengths. That’s all you can do – it’s not a case of targeting one or two rivals and making sure you get the better of them every race; it’s about doing the best you can and working it out at the end of the regatta.