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was the perfect prize to handover to the next Olympic sailing regatta in Weymouth 2012.

Great Britain's medal target in sailing was four - to achieve that in golds with an additional silver and bronze was beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

Percy and Simpson's victory in the Star class was pure gold in every sense of the word. The lifelong friends showed great resilience to squeeze through an extremely testing medal race to secure first place.

Continue reading "Sailors provide perfect handover"


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It was like running the 100m on a treadmill - going nowhere fast. That was how one of the sailors summed up the conditions here.

The warning signs were there on Wednesday when a number of fleets had their races postponed, but Thursday was the first full day of racing lost.

Continue reading "Psychology key to GB's waiting game on becalmed Yellow Sea"



There's nothing like a hug to make you feel good.

Stevie Morrison turned me down in the mixed zone yesterday saying that he'd rather have a stiff drink after he and Ben Rhodes experienced - so the Mayor of Qingdao got one instead.

He made an impromptu visit to the team hotel last night.

Manager Stephen Park was on 5 Live with Simon Mayo at the time but once he had come off air he dragged me upstairs to the club suite on the eighth floor to meet him.

Continue reading "Fingers crossed for frustrated 49ers"



Qingdao

are right where they want to be at the midway point of their events - you couldn't have asked for more.

Top of the leaderboard in both the and the with just four more races to go before this weekend's grand finale.

It's no mean feat when you consider .

Continue reading "So far so good for Team GB on coast of Yellow Sea"



Qingdao

I can fully appreciate the frustration for sailors competing with the unpredictable weather - although judging by the conditions in Beijing I'm more than happy to be here.

At least you can see the sun!

We were supposed to have official practice races on all four courses today, similar to that in football with pre-season matches, but the sea was as calm as a millpond and most of the sailors ended up ashore sitting around waiting for some wind to kick in.

There's only so much tinkering, fine tuning or positive thinking you can do. Otherwise it's back to the hotel for guitar sounds, table tennis and DVDs.

There's serious competition on the front.

Continue reading "Sailors twiddle their thumbs - and table tennis bats - as wind dies"



Qingdao

It seems China's finest may have to wait a few days.

The British team are away in Shanghai at the moment for some serious rest and relaxation before competition begins. It's been pretty full-on for the guys so this is their final chance for a proper get together.

Manager Stephen Park says that one of the most draining things about the Chinese summer is the 100% humidity which means the temperatures of around 25C feels more like 40!

I'm sure will have hit the spa by now..

Continue reading "Will gold medal for Ayton mean new name for fiancΓ© Dempsey?"



If you've got it, flaunt it.

Sailors are no strangers to getting their kit off for the cameras and Iain Percy is no exception.

The Sydney Olympic gold medallist is one of Britain's highest-profile sailors. He says one of his greatest strengths is not taking himself too seriously and he was one five members of Skandia Team GBR who stripped off and covered themselves in gold.

Continue reading "Stripping for sailing gold"



I don't do diets. Winter vomiting and heartbreak are the only two I've ever had. I lost a shed load, although I wouldn't recommend it.

The thought of slogging it out on a treadmill or swinging a isn't enough to convince me that a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips.

Then again with the humid conditions expected for the Olympic sailing events I won't need a sweaty gym. We're talking nearly 100% humidity in .

Continue reading "Windsurfer prepares to make weight"



Ahoy bloggers! I thought it was about time I introduced myself to the online community before I head to .

I'll be keeping 5live listeners up to date on events from the throughout the Games. I was looking forward to it until one of the team messaged me on Facebook to tell me that "the weather sucks and you spend your whole time being very sweaty".

Continue reading "Team GB set sail for the Olympics"



I'm a bit of a free spirit when it comes to reporting on 5live. I live life behind a wheel and clock up thousands of miles oop north talking to Premier League managers and players.

It does have its moments like traffic jams, the occasional long hours, and satellite navigation systems sending you the wrong way, but overall I can't complain. I even have favourite service stations!

I've been based in Manchester for the past three years after leaving The Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1, and whilst most of my time is spent talking football this will be my second Games reporting on the British Olympic Sailing Team.

There are 33 medals up for grabs in the port city of , where the British team has been sailing ever since the end of their Olympic campaign in Athens.

The city is also home to China's best known beer, , which could come in very handy on Sunday 24th August.


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