Countdown to Rio 2016: We talk to Nick Thompson
by Mark Jardine 18 Jul 2016 13:38 BST
18 July 2016
Nick Thompson © Rick Tomlinson / British Sailing Team
We recently spoke to double Laser World Champion Nick Thompson about his successful defence of his Worlds title and his final preparations for Rio 2016.
Mark Jardine: Nick, last time we spoke, you'd just won your first Laser World Championship, but to win the two leading up to the games must give you a huge amount of confidence going into the main event.
Nick Thompson: Yes, you're absolutely right. Last time we spoke was on the balcony at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, and I'd just come home off the back of winning my first Worlds. Then, to go into the second one, was a huge amount of pressure and expectation to deliver again, and to have done that and overcome that personally means a lot, but also sends a strong message to my competitors. I think to win one Worlds is obviously massive, but to do it two times is quite something that I'm sure they're going to be a bit more fearful of.
Mark: In the Laser class, where everything is strictly one-design, so much of the game, when physically you're in top condition, so much of the game is a mental one. The confidence that you gain from wins must put you in a far, far better position. How do you find that psychologically?
Nick: Yes, that's a very good point. I think a huge amount of Laser sailing is the mental game. I think it's something where experience is the biggest influencer of that. You have times, when you start out young and you start doing well that you then expect to do well at the next event, and you don't - that's quite tough. Then you'll go through a few phases of not doing well, and then you'll go through phases of doing well and expecting to do well. I think, really, without going through all of that, you don't get that rounding that you need to be able to keep a level head, regardless of how you're getting on during day 1 of the competition or the very end of the competition. I think, for me, that's probably the biggest thing now, that I've been through those phases and I now feel comfortable with my confidence and with my ability going into every event.
Mark: Now, it's less than one month to go. You're really closing in on the end-game towards the Olympics. What is your schedule for the next month?
Nick: It's actually quite quiet now. I think most of the hard work's been done. I've just come back from my 14th or 15th trip to Rio, so that's something like 160 or more days in Rio and I hope I've covered most bases there. It's a very tricky venue, I've almost learnt that there is nothing to learn, but I think that's a better position to be in than going in thinking there's always something to know. So, I think, hopefully the hard work's been done.
From now until the games, I've got a bit more training in Weymouth, which will be nice with my training partners, who have been fantastic and put in a lot of effort with me out in Rio. So a bit of training there and then we head out to the Olympics about two weeks before the event.
Mark: Apart from competing in the games, what are you most looking forward to about the atmosphere, the Olympic experience?
Nick: I think both of the things you just said – the atmosphere, being in Rio, and sailing is really at the centre of the Olympics which is nice. We haven't had that since Sydney so I'm really looking forward to the atmosphere and the buzz, because it's Rio - they're known for throwing a party! Certainly, when the racing's over, I'm looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere of the Olympics and enjoying being there. The first week, and certainly during my racing, it is really just going to be trying to do business as usual, focus on getting the job done and then, enjoy it afterwards hopefully.
Mark: Of course, your aspirations for the Games, being now a double World Champion, must be the gold medal. Will your approach, with it being the Olympics and slightly smaller fleets than you might have in a World Championship, be any different to any other event?
Nick: That's a very good question. My ambition absolutely is gold. I think when I got that second Worlds title, that was really me sending a message that I'm there to try and win, as opposed to previously, I'm sure a lot of people would've said, 'he's going there for a medal'. But yes, I'm certainly going there to win.
In terms of the approach to the event, it will be interesting to see. I think you won't really know until you get to the start line of race 1. We've done test events, and we've done other events with similar sized fleets, but when we're at World Championships, even though we have more boats, we're racing in fleets anyway, so we're used to racing with a similar number, maybe a bit more. So I'm hoping that the approach doesn't change too much. I'm sure being a little more aggressive in certain positions is going to pay off, because those few points here and there are going to be even more critical, but hopefully I'll just do my normal thing.
Mark: Who would you regard as your main competitors for that gold medal. Of course, Robert Scheidt will be the home favourite and there are various others, who would you say are the main threats?
Nick: It's a good question. I think there are probably ten people who've got a realistic chance of actually winning, which is huge, I don't think there are many other Olympic classes where you've got that depth. But, you can't look past people like Robert Scheidt, Tom Burton usually delivers when it matters, Philipp Buhl from Germany has fantastic events, Jesper Stalheim from Sweden, when he's on form sails very well, and Sam Meech from New Zealand. There are just so many guys that you could really sit there for a while, and it is just about who turns up and is on form for that week and a half, and you're not going to know that until you get there.
Mark: We've been following your progression for quite some time and throughout the games you can be assured that every single one of our readers will be cheering you on. The very best of luck!
Nick: Thank you very much. Thanks for the support.