Nick Rogers

Britain's Olympic 470 helmsman talked to madforsailing about coming fourth at the Olympics

After winning three golds and two silver medals, there will be some serious celebrating going on for Team GBR tonight. But we shouldn't forget the people that won't bring home a medal: John Derbyshire and the team of support crews and coaches; Nick Dempsey and Christine Johnston in the Mistral; Hugh Styles and Adam May, sixth in the Tornado; Andy Beadsworth, Barry Parkin and Richard Sydenham, who had to cope with a bad day at just the wrong moment in the Soling match racing; and Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield - just a point away from Bronze in the 470. Madforsailing spoke to the man who came so close.

mfs - You’ve done brilliantly here, but fourth is the cruellest of positions to finish in the Olympics, do you feel proud of what you’ve achieved?

NR - Yes, I do feel proud of what we’ve done. We’ve worked really hard and fourth is better than fifth and better than sixth and that’s good - but I do also feel gutted. The only consolation is that we didn’t really lose it, so much as someone else won it, and that is a big consolation. If we’d sailed badly in the last race it would be worse. That's the one that counts in my mind, because you’re given your result, and the last race is when you have to do the job with what you’ve got. Although some people say, well, what about the other races earlier? But for me it was the last race and we didn’t throw it away. We did everything we could and he managed to take it off us.

mfs - In effect, you beat him on the water and he had a bit of a lucky break and got that extra place at the end, is that what you mean?

NR - Yeah. We did sail fantastically and at least that helps.

mfs - You very nearly didn’t even make it here, having lost the trials at Weymouth. But then the trials were extended because of the narrow margin, and you romped home after that at the international regattas. How have you enjoyed the whole Olympic experience?

NR - Awesome, it’s just such a fantastic feast of pressure and excitement and all those things that we enjoy. It’s just been great. The feeling of coming fourth is the same as losing the trials, just so gutting. It’s like something has died. But the experience has been fantastic. The team is great, really friendly and super-talented.

mfs - I wanted to ask if the team has been supportive to you?

NR - The whole way through and especially after we’d finished. Hugh Styles and Adam May, who themselves were nearly medallists but saw it slip it away, they’ve still been here and doing their stuff. The whole team has been fantastic.

mfs - What about the future? Do you plan to carry on together in the 470? Both you and Joe have a good future in sailing, which way do you think you’ll go?

NR - I think the plan is to wait and see if the 470 is still in the Games in November, and we’ll start our bid with the John Merricks Sailing Trust Tiger Trophy up at Rutland. That’ll be a good start. We probably won’t do a four-year campaign, I’m sure of that, but we’ll definitely sail together in the 470 for the next Games if it’s in.

mfs - And in between, are you looking at diversifying a bit?

NR - I definitely would like to, I’ll wait and see what opportunities arise. Most of all I guess I would like to be part of a successful Admiral’s Cup team. In the fantasy realms I’d like to be involved in the America’s Cup, but that would interfere with the next Olympics, which is my primary goal.

mfs - Have you managed to keep it all in perspective?
NR - We are still living and breathing, although it is hard to take. So many nice people try to console you and tell us how well we’ve done. But there’s no answer to the fact that we could very nearly have had a bronze medal. We can come back and fight for gold next time, but we still could have had a bronze and you can’t ever get that back. But that’s what sport's all about, and we try and see the positive side of it and we just have to get out and do it again.

mfs - Is that the only way you’ll be able to get rid of the feeling?

NR - Basically, I don’t want to be too pessimistic, but the feeling will go with time whether we do or don’t do anther campaign. But it will definitely help, if in Athens we can put together another campaign as good as this one, with Hamish Wilcox and all the support from the RYA. I think we will be much bigger favourites going into the regatta. In my heart of hearts, both Joe and I felt that we could win this event. Although we looked like a long shot, we’d had some good results this year and we were one of the few boats out there with no real weaknesses, there was no weather that we were bad in and that’s why we felt that we could do it.

mfs - The rest of the team have just done phenomenally well, what are your thoughts on how the team has done?

NR - Just fantastically well, yesterday I had a stinking hangover and felt pretty sad. Then I came down and did the commentary on Ben and Shirley’s races and it felt like a big positive and felt so good that they’d done it and Team GB was still going to do well, even though we didn’t get a medal, so that was really nice.

mfs - What will you be doing today?

NR - I’ve got to pack up the boat and containers unfortunately, but if I get away from that then I’ll be out watching. I’d love to watch both, but I’ll probably start by watching the Stars. I think Iain Percy is sailing so fantastically that he’ll just do it, and I know that Ian and Mark have supported us so much that I’d just like to go and watch them.