Ainslie aims to be most successful Olympic sailor

LONDON - If Ben Ainslie wins gold at London 2012 Olympic Games, he will become the most successful Olympic sailor of all time.

"My goal is to win. That's been the case since I competed in my first Olympics in 1996 and it is the same still now," said Ainslie in a press conference on Tuesday.

The Briton won silver at the 1996 Olympic Games and gold at the 2000 Olympics in the Laser class. He moved to the larger Finn class for the 2004 Olympics, where he won gold, and then defended the title in Beijing in 2008. If he wins gold in London, he will level Paul Elvstrom of Denmark, who won four Olympic sailing gold medals from 1948 to 1960, to become the most successful Olympic sailor of all time.

However, the winning road in London is not that easy. "In the Olympics, the standard of the event is so much higher and all of the sailors have spent four years of their lives to get to the Olympics. In my class there are 10 or 12 guys who, on their day, can be a threat and go out and win races. It is going to be really tough," he said.

Ben Ainslie of Britain, sailing in the Finn class, attends a news conference prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games in Weymouth and Portland, southern England, July 24, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]