Weymouth is the venue for a three-way shoot-out this week and the gunslingers are all British Finn sailors with big reputations.
Veteran Ben Ainslie, 34, the ultimate racer and three-time Olympic gold medallist; Ed Wright, 33, fiercely competitive and the reigning world champion; and new kid on the block Giles Scott, 23, a solid all-rounder who won the same Sail for Gold event last year.
At stake are a World Cup title on Olympic waters and a serious claim on the one spot per class for the pre-Games test event back in Dorset in August. Sail well then, and a berth in the British team for 2012 is within touching distance.
Competition throughout the squad is fierce, notably in the Finn, 49er, Laser and men's and women's 470 classes.
But it is the Finn that is attracting most attention. Between them, Ainslie, Wright and Scott have won all five World Cup regattas this season but Ainslie, the defending Olympic champion, has a fight on his hands. Once unthinkable, a fifth straight Olympic appearance for Britain's most decorated Olympic sailor is far from guaranteed.
So can Team GB's Olympic sailing manager Stephen Park conceive of a home Olympics without Ainslie in the team?
"Yes, absolutely," he replied. "Ultimately, the Olympic selection committee will pick the people they think are in the best shape and they think will win medals in 2012 not those who happen to have won in 2004 and 2008.
"There's a good chance it will be Ben but equally there's a good chance for the other Finn sailors. Ben's got to do the same as everyone else, but he starts from a position as the successful incumbent. His job is to deliver results to build confidence in the selectors that he is still the right man for the job in 2012."
Ainslie, who also won Olympic silver and gold in the Laser class in 1996 and 2000, stepped away from the Finn to concentrate on the America's Cup big-boat circuit after winning his second Finn gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2008. In his absence, Wright and Scott flourished, while Ainslie made a rare return to the Finn at Sail for Gold in Weymouth last summer, placing fourth.
But with Team Origin pulling out of the 2013 America's Cup and with the Olympics looming, Ainslie has now returned full time to the Finn and the old magic has been creeping back.
He won the World Cup season opener in Melbourne last December, was second to Scott in Miami in January and has won the last two World Cup regattas, in Hyeres, France, and Palma, Majorca.
"I've been full-on trying to catch up," said Ainslie. "I've watched Ed and Giles doing fantastically well the last couple of years and it has been hard not being involved. I'm having to push harder to get back to the top level to beat those guys."
Scott, who was also third at the 2010 worlds, had to settle for second in Palma but was off the pace in Hyeres. Wright, meanwhile, landed another victory in the World Cup event in Holland last week, though he struggled in France and Majorca.
Ainslie's recent reminders to the selection panel suggest he is once more in pole position. But Scott and Wright know victory in Sail for Gold would give the committee some very sleepless nights.
"We're primarily looking for medal-winning performances," says Park.
"They key this week as far as selection goes is for the top performers to reinforce their positions in the programme, and for the up-and-coming sailors to knock the incumbents of their perch."
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The selection window for the 2012 team officially opens in October when Park reckons sailors in "two or three classes" could be nominated to the British Olympic Association for approval. Several more berths will be awarded in January, after December's World Championships in Perth, Australia, while the last few places may not be decided until Easter 2012 if selection is still tight.
It is likely that the top British performers in each class in Weymouth this week will make the team for August's full Olympic run-through, though Park says the five-man committee can still make an arbitrary decision if it wishes. Another good performance in the summer, especially from an existing Olympic gold medallist such as Ainslie, Laser sailor Paul Goodison or Star duo Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, "would be a pretty safe bet for nomination", admits Park.
Like his counterpart from cycling Dave Brailsford and GB rowing coach Jurgen Grobler, Park has not been afraid to make tough decisions in the past. He was part of the panel ahead of Beijing that overlooked the Yngling team of two-time Olympic champion Shirley Robertson, in favour of her former crew-mate Sarah Ayton. The decision was vindicated as Ayton delivered gold in China.
"It's not personal. My interest is how many medals Great Britain can win in 2012," said Park. "I have no interest in whether they are delivered by Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott, or whoever. I can argue on a personal level for all the sailors - they're doing everything they can, which I applaud. But for my part I'll ensure we make the selection based on the key goal of getting medals."
But he warns that there is a danger the sailors could become so wrapped up in the qualification race that they focus purely on beating their compatriots and take their eyes off the bigger picture.
"There's no doubt there is a risk in the later parts of the regatta," said Park, who pointed out that many other countries will be also using Sail for Gold as a selection event.
"It's up to them to put together the best performance they can to build confidence in the selectors. If they win the regatta they will obviously be the top British boat."
Ainslie is comfortable with the competition, having tasted it from both sides, once as a youngster trying to break in and more recently as the top dog.
"It's something I've been experiencing my whole sailing career," he said. "It's actually quite good fun and part of the experience. Those moments can be pretty enjoyable when everything's on the line and you need to go out and win the race."
Scott admits there have been a few "shouting matches" but insists the arguments never continue off the water, while Wright says he is driven by the competition.
"I'm pretty damn competitive in everything in life, whether it's a game of football in the back garden or a game of cards. It's hard for me to turn off," he said.
The battle of Britain is under way. Olympic dreams will flourish or founder in the waves of Weymouth this weekend.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/robhodgetts/2011/06/ainslie_faces_fight_for_suprem.html
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