Rio 2016: We talk to Finn supremo Giles Scott
by Mark Jardine 29 Jul 2016 15:25 BST
29 July 2016
Giles Scott © British Sailing Team
We spoke to Finn supremo Giles Scott about his build-up to Rio 2016 and picking himself up after the epic battle for selection with Ben Ainslie ahead of London 2012
Mark Jardine: In the Finn class you had very big boots to fill and luckily you've got big feet! What does it feel like taking on the mantle of Sir Ben?
Giles Scott: I don't know. I suppose my view of where I've come from is a bit different as I don't really see it as a mantle. I see it as I had to compete against somebody who was pretty good at what they did, and I was unfortunate and didn't manage to beat him for the London 2012 Games last time around, and now I've got my chance, so I suppose I'm not necessarily doing it to fill his mantle, I'm doing it because I want to win.
Mark: You've had a spectacular run of results lately; what do you attribute to consistently being at the top?
Giles: What I do know is that after 2012, I was in a reasonably dark spot. If I go back four years I know that I wanted to get away from the Olympics and do something else for a year, and I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity with the Italian America's Cup team which filled my time really well for 12 months, and it really got me through that dark period of, 'why didn't I go to London 2012'.
Off the back of that I decided that I wasn't done and that I wanted to do another campaign - I wanted to make sure that I did it right. I've just been a lot more thorough with every aspect of my sailing campaign – well, at least I hope I have. That's where it's all stemmed from – it's a work ethic. I'd like to do whatever I can to win and I'm prepared to do a lot to achieve that.
Mark: How does it help being a part of the British Sailing Team, which has a reputation for leaving no stones unturned, especially in such a technical class as the Finn?
Giles: It's great. We've got great support here within the British Sailing Team. Especially in the Finn where the technical aspect is a huge part of our racing, and it's something that has to be absolutely spot on. We've had such a great foundation that's been built through people like David Howlett, who coached both Iain (Percy) and Ben (Ainslie) throughout the majority of their sailing, and what we've tried to do is evolve that as well as we can and optimize it as best we can for me. Ultimately, what that's meant is we've made changes to the kit that we sail with, but they're quite small and manageable changes, which keeps things simple and enables us to focus on racing.
Mark: The Finn is such a physical boat to sail. What's the focus with your training coming up to the Games?
Giles: We've come back from Rio and we're going into a bit of downtime, which in honesty feels a little bit strange. I think it's quite an important thing to make sure we're well-rested, and for me personally, I need to remember that this has been a three year process, it's not a one month process, it's a three year process building to the Olympic Games.
I think it'd be very easy to just say, 'right, I've got to do absolutely everything I can under the sun, I shouldn't be sleeping'. We go out to Rio early, make sure that I'm fit, healthy and get a good week of proper training before the event, and then we're in and just try to execute our plan to get the job done.
Mark: In the Finn class there are some exceptional sailors. Who would you regard as the main competitors for the Games?
Giles: The Danish sailor, Jonas Høgh-Christensen, who gave Ben a real run for his money, is showing good form again. He was second at the World Championship this year. There's a big chasing group; Dutch, French, Croatian, Kiwi, Brazilian, they're all great sailors, and definitely capable of medaling, so it's going to be incredibly tough.
Mark: Will you be doing anything to soak up the Rio atmosphere or is it just concentrating on the business of the event?
Giles: Yes, I certainly want to enjoy the Games experience. I know Rio really well now with the amount of time that we spent out there, which does enable you to really focus in on what's important and getting the sailing done. That being said, it's an Olympic Games, and it's a huge opportunity aside from winning medals, which is really why I'm there, but, yes, for sure I want to soak up everything I can. But, that being said, I want to get the job done there.
Mark: The entire nation is going to be watching every move and wishing you the best of luck. I'm sure you're going to have a fantastic event.
Giles: Thank you.