All go down-under tomorrow

Wednesday start for Finn Gold Cup and the 470 Worlds in Melbourne

It’s show time for the big boy Finn sailors when racing begins in the Finn Gold Cup at Black Rock Yacht Club tomorrow.

They are the big men of world monohull dinghy sailing and in an Olympic year, it will be game on from day one of their Sail Melbourne World Championship event.

With just six remaining places up for grabs for the Olympic regatta in Qingdao next August, some competitors will be feeling a lot more pressure than others.

For the likes of Finn superstar, Ben Ainslie (GBR), who has already secured his spot on the national team, his job will be to simply continue his dominance on an international level.

Without doubt the four-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist has a huge psychological advantage over his rivals.

The general consensus is not if, but when Ainslie wins his fifth world title and third Olympic gold medal, he will officially cement his position as the most outstanding Finn
sailor of all time.

By the same token he won’t have everything his own way. One of his main rivals is his
compatriot Ed Wright, who finished second to him at last week’s Asia Pacific Regatta and despite missing out on Olympic selection, will be keen to go head to head with his more fancied opponent.

World champion Rafael Trujillo (ESP) is keen to defend his 2007 crown and great Australian hope, Anthony Nossiter, will undoubtedly want to improve on his best result of eighth at the worlds in 2003 and sixth at Athens in 2004.

Other names to watch out for will be Jonas Hoegh Christensen (DEN), Chris Cook (CAN) and Daniel Birgmark (SWE).

Meanwhile just a little further down the bay at Mordialloc Sailing Club, the 470 Men and 470 Women will begin final preparations for their world titles which begin on Thursday.