Rio 2016: We talk to Ben Saxton & Nicola Groves
by Mark Jardine 15 Jul 2016 11:35 BST
15 July 2016
Ben Saxton & Nicola Groves © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
In the build-up to Rio 2016, we spoke to some of the British sailors taking part in the event. First up we spoke to Nacra 17 sailors Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves.
Mark Jardine: What was the feeling like when you found out that you'd been selected for the games?
Ben Saxton: It felt pretty awesome. It felt like I justified a lot of hard work, a lot of effort from a lot of people. I was proud to be part of Team GB, and also really happy to do it with Nicola.
Mark: And Nicola?
Nicola Groves: We were actually in an open space when we found out and it was quite hard to not run and jump, and shout 'yeah, we did it!' So I had the biggest grin on my face, it was wicked.
Mark: What's the thing you're most looking forward to when you first get to the games?
Nicola: I think it will be the excitement of the atmosphere around the venue, and the whole city, really. Rio's a wicked place, it's going to be insane when we're there, a big party atmosphere. Then getting on the water and actually getting down to what we're there for. I think the first race will be pretty cool to get going, get it under way.
Mark: And Ben?
Ben: I'm at the Olympics to be racing, so I'm going to be chomping at the bit and ready to go racing, racing, racing!
Mark: You've been involved in a lot of the UK racing classes as well, throughout many domestic classes. What do you find is the biggest difference when you make the step up to Olympic sailing?
Ben: It's just the depth of the fleet. You pull off a really good start at an Olympic level, you sail your boat really fast, you sail the correct way up the beat, and you're still 15-wide coming into the windward mark or 15th, and then you're picking one or two off, whereas at national level, you get a good start and attack, and you go the right way and you're instantly up there.
It's also how good people are, our mistakes get punished and they get punished hard. You make a little mistake in national racing, and actually, most people probably don't even know that you've made a mistake. Only we know that we've made the mistake, whereas in Olympic racing, you're like, 'ooh, that wasn't good... hang on... we've got some catching up to do here'.
Nicola: Sometimes you just can't shake people in Olympic racing. They're always there, always right behind you, and if you make a mistake you've suddenly got a mountain to climb again to get back to the front.
Mark: So what makes the difference? How do you make that step up in sailing to the top end of an Olympic fleet and being a medal contender?
Ben: It's a lot of hard work. You've got to make sure you're covered on all bases as well. That's from boat practice, to speed, to tactics, to team work, and also, one of the things we're really happy about is that we're happy in any conditions, so at no point are we looking and going, 'ooh, this is a light one, I wish it was windier' or 'uh-oh, it's windy, I wish it was light'. That puts our mind at rest quite a lot which helps us relax and focus on just, 'okay, it's ten knots, let's go racing', 'okay, it's twenty knots, let's go racing', which helps. So a lot of hard work, and that's easy when you enjoy it, because you can put it in easily.
Mark: This brings me onto the British Sailing Team. I know the team leaves no stone unturned in racing preparation. How does that help with your campaign?
Nicola: It means you can have the best confidence in equipment, fitness, and the physical side of it, and know that you're fit, healthy, strong, and knowing that our boat's not going to fall apart - it's going to be the best it can be.
Mark: Your aspiration for the games is of course a gold medal. Could you tell me something about your goals?
Ben: We haven't a got a hard aim, if you talk to me and Nicola, we sometimes differ, that's our personalities I think. I think you've got an opportunity to win an Olympic medal, so you're not going to turn that down, are you? That's the way I look at it. But in saying that, we've just won an event, the last World Cup event at Weymouth - that was good. We nearly won the one in Hyeres just before but messed up the medal race.
Having said that, there's a load of good countries, so by no means, just because we've just because we've won Weymouth does it mean we are going to beat the four-time world champion, or the Aussies that won the test event. It's open, and it's going to come down to how we race.
Mark: So, your opinions slightly differ on this - Nicola, can you give me your aims and aspirations?
Nicola: Ben's is a good answer. He's like, 'gold... we're going for gold.' He's very punchy but it doesn't mean we don't want the same thing, we just have a different way of saying it.
Mark: After 2016, there's talk of there being a foiling catamaran for the 2020 games. What are your views on that?
Ben: The sooner we know what's happening, the better, so we can plan what's going on. At the moment, we're going to finish the Olympics, and then not know what's happening, and then the next games is only going to be three and a half years away all of a sudden and we still don't know what boat it's in - that's a bit of a pain. Also we just want to make sure it doesn't become too expensive, if they're trying to make it exciting, I think the Nacra is already exciting.
Mark: Lastly, Nicola, you've got a month now until the games actually start. What is your regime now for this month?
Nicola: I think it's just polishing up the edges now, it's not a lot of time, not many days on the water, so just final little selection on what kit we're going to use and the last little bit in the gym, and round everything off so we're ready to go on the 10th August.
Mark: Best of luck to you both. We're very much looking forward to watching the racing, and I think you've got every chance of getting a medal, having watched your campaign progress.
Ben & Nicola: Thanks very much. Cheers.