Brilliant Brazilian

Torben Grael has four Olympic medals already, but wants another one in Athens

Nevertheless, his goal is a gold medal in Athens, although the more immediate focus is that of the America's Cup. They say you can't win the Auld Mug at your first attempt, but having put in a highly creditable performance in 1999/2000, there is little doubt that anything less than outright victory this time for the mighty Prada machine would be seen as failure.

From being a very Italian campaign last time, Grael says Patrizio Bertelli's campaign has taken on a much more cosmopolitan flavour. "It's good having fresh people involved. There are definitely some different ideas coming into the challenge this time."

How does Grael rate the chances of GBR Challenge at their first attempt? "There are some very good sailors in the British challenge, and if they have good organisation they can go a long way.

"However experience and knowledge are two factors that can only help your cause. The more you have, the better it is for you. But it is not impossible to do well without experience, as we ourselves proved in Auckland last time round. It was my first America's Cup and it was the same for Francesco [de Angelis, Prada's skipper and helmsman].

"Technology is always a big part of the Cup. Boat speed differences got closer and closer in the Twelves, but I am not sure we are quite there with the ACC boats yet. The Kiwis made an important step forward in 1995 and made another large step in 2000."

Whilst Prada was one of the rich boys last time, they have merely set a new financial benchmark which many of the other syndicates are close to matching for 2002/3. "You have to respect everybody," he says. "The standard will be higher than ever."

Someone of Grael's calibre gets a lot of offers to do many interesting projects, and he was approached to join a campaign for the Volvo Ocean Race. "I sailed a leg of the last Whitbread, and I came very close to getting involved in the Volvo, but I am not sure it is the right time for me. There is too much to do." So what does he think of the illbruck Challenge's twin-pronged assault on the Volvo and the Auld Mug?

"I don't think it is too ambitious. Doing the Volvo is a very good step to prepare a team for the Cup. Paul Cayard did this last time - he was successful in the Whitbread and quite successful in the Cup [his AmericaOne challenge was knocked out by Prada in the finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup]."

So perhaps we can expect to see Grael take part in round-the-world races in the future, but for the moment he is very much a round-the-cans specialist, and one of the best the world has seen.