Bryony Shaw's emotional outburst live on television (I'm so f***ing happy!) somewhat eclipsed her Bronze medal performance in the media but there is nothing that could possibly eclipse the results that Team GBR achieved in the sailing Olympics: four Golds, a Silver and said Bronze. To use Bryony's words that is just f***ing spectacular! Team GBR, not just the sailors but everyone in the squad, you were magnificent.

Of course there were the detractors. The Australians commented that 'you Brits are only good at sitting down sports' (come on guys, didn't you get two golds and a silver?) whilst the Americans took the high moral ground declaring their true corinthian ethos, implying that anyone with Team GBR's budget could take home the medals; short memories perhaps. In Barcelona in 1992 they captured a grand total of nine medals.

They both miss the point. Team GBR is well funded, yes, but to have winners you need talent. And that talent is not supplied courtesy of the National Lottery. The seeds for success were sown many years ago with the RYA's ambitious and far-sighted Youth programme and the formation of the Olympic Squad. And that was well before the days of Lottery funding and other sponsorships. Perhaps if the Aussies and Americans adopted the British model they too could be enjoying similar sailing Olympic successes in five or ten years time.

In four years time Team GBR will be competing on home territory and in familiar waters and at a venue where the risk is of too much rather than too little wind. There is every chance that they can better their 2008 medal haul. Maybe they could match the USA record of nine sailing Olympic medals.

Andrew Bray

Andrew Bray, 11 September 2008