Gunning for Finn gold

Reigning world champion Sebastien Godefroid from Belgium tells Andy Rice about his plans for Athens

Gofefroid aboard his Finn alternative, Jean-Luc Nelias' 60ft trimaran Belgacom

Godefroid spent much of the winter following his girlfriend, Carolijn Brouwer, on her tour of duty with Amer Sports Too in the Volvo Ocean Race. The Nautor Challenge has been a keen recruiter of top dinghy talent, bringing some talented new blood into the offshore scene. Brouwer is a two-time Europe World Champion, for example, and Amer Sports One counted Freddie Loof and Chris Nicholson, Star and 49er World Champions respectively, amongst their crew. How did the notion of a Volvo Race appeal to Godefroid?

"At the beginning of last year I had an offer to join Amer Sports One for the Volvo. I said I was interested but it was about the same time I got the offer to do the trimarans. Finally I chose the trimarans because I would really like to do well in the Finn in Athens and I was afraid that if I did the Volvo I would have to stop. It would be hard to pick up again, not just the sailing but also my funding from sponsors and the federation."

Despite having turned down the offer from Nautor Challenge, he still looked on with envy at his old Finn mates like Freddie Loof on Amer Sports One and Richard Clarke on illbruck. "I wish I could get the experience they're getting now. I realise I need to get as much experience as I can, before I get into this kind of racing. I'd like to do a Volvo or something similar, but maybe not in these tough slow boats [VO60s], something faster. If I get the opportunity to do something like The Race I'd be really interested. I'd like to do a Mini-Transat or something and maybe try a big campaign myself one day. But it's still all very far away, right now I'm not even close to it. I need to get so much more experience first."

What his involvement in the trimaran racing has done is given him renewed motivation to succeed in the Finn. After an unexpected silver in Atlanta, Godefroid was certainly looking for another medal in Sydney but finished a lacklustre 7th. He admits his preparation was bad, and he had been overwhelmed by bureaucratic distractions, not least in finding a coach that he could work with.

He eventually asked a good sailing friend from Belgium, local sailmaker Michel Lefebvre, to be his coach. But now he is not so sure it was a good idea to have a good friend as his coach. By his own admission, Godefroid says he was beginning to behave like a spoilt brat. Unlike 1996, where he went into the Games with little expectation of medalling, this time great things were expected. "I didn't realise how deep into it I was getting. I sailed more and more and more. I was easily doing 25 days a month in the last year, and that was way too much. I wasn't taking the time to relax and think things over. It would have helped a little bit to have someone to tell me where I was going wrong.

"I know more about myself now, and I'm still looking at my coaching options. At the moment I'm still working with Michel but he's too much of a good friend. I need someone to hit me in the face when I am too stubborn to understand something. Before Sydney I was getting really deep in my own thoughts. He saw that he wasn't used to seeing me like that, but as a friend he couldn't get angry with me. I said to him afterwards: 'If this happens again, please hit me, really hard.'"

Winning the Finn Gold Cup last year suggests the Belgian is well back on track for success in Athens. But despite the fact that the gold and bronze medallists from Sydney - Iain Percy and Freddie Loof - have moved into the Star, the competition will be every bit as intense.

"Mateusz [Kusznierewicz, 1996 Olympic Champion] will be a tough one again. He is training less now, but he should be back for the Games. He has a lot of experience and he is used to winning regattas. He mucked up the Sydney Games too and learned a lot, so he's a potential candidate.

"Then there's Emilios [Papathansiou]." Godefroid rates him as a sailor, but hopes there won't be too much local advantage for the Greek sailor. "I hope we're not going to see too much funny stuff at the Games. The last time we had a regatta in Athens, Emilios was two or three boatlengths over the line on a black flag start on a general recall, and his number was not on the blackboard. I'm a bit worried about that, but I'm sure the international organisation will do their best to prevent it at the Games.

"He will have good local knowledge, but the thing that will work against him will be the pressure. He will be one of the local heroes and it will be his home regatta. It can be a disadvantage because there are many more people around you pushing you all the time, asking the same questions all the time, wishing you good luck all the time. It might be hard for him in that respect."

So, what of the Brits? "There is a reasonable chance of a medal there. I had the good luck to be invited to train with them in August. I spent 10 days training with the Brits and I was amazed by the facilities there. A team of 10 boats. Three or four are really top level and the other six are a really good level. Being able to train with 10 boats all the time, have a good budget to test equipment - that's very dangerous. I learned a lot there, and it was one of the reasons I was able to worlds last year. Almost anybody you put in conditions like that is a dangerous candidate."

He acknowledges Ben Ainslie as one of those dangerous candidates. "It took me a long time to get better in the Finn. I'm pretty sure he will do it faster, because he has a lot of experience already, and a good environment to train in."

Certainly, Ainslie has made a very rapid progression to the top end of the Finn fleet, but Godefroid - for the time being at least - remains the class act in this tough class.