BRITANNIA'S BEAUTIES RULE THE WAVES
Britannia will once again rule the waves at the Olympics in four years' time - and have the best-looking female sailors to boot.
That's the view of Beijing gold medallists Iain Percy and Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, who won the Star class.
'Blondes in a boat', Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, sailed to gold in the Yngling class, while windsurfer Bryony Shaw, who posed naked to promote the Olympics, won bronze.
And Percy and Simpson believe the girls' good looks will help raise awareness of the sport and boost the chances of more GB gold medallists when the Games come to London in 2012.
Simpson said: "I don't know about the guys, but the girls are great - some of the best in the world."
Percy, 32, added: "All of our sailors are outside most of the time and a tan and a bit of fitness goes a long way. Our girls in particular are in incredible physical shape.
"I remember when the sailors went into the Olympic Village on the last day and people like Bryony Shaw, who we call the 'Pocket Rocket' and is an incredible physical specimen, looked amazing next to the other athletes."
Simpson continued: "We were slightly taken aback by that because we know the girls have been putting in a lot of hard work, but if you see that physical fitness and toning on an athlete you think it is amazing."
Simpson and Percy, best friends for 20 years, only realised they had clinched gold with "10 or 20 seconds of the race remaining" and after not drinking for two months before the Games, enjoyed the celebrations.
"The champagne went to our heads a bit," admitted 31-year-old Simpson. "We were gone pretty quickly, I'm afraid. We were men down pretty early on that night.
"I think the achievements of the sailors can be eclipsed in four years. It's great for the whole country what TeamGB have done - it has made people much happier.
"The football team have not helped the nation's cause for a while. The whole of TeamGB were always trying, giving everything they have got to try and win. You can't ask for more than that.
"If we keep pushing in the same way and the funding remains good we can do even better as a whole nation in four years time. It would be hard to do better than the six medals we won this year, but it is possible."
On the prospect of returning for TeamGB when the Olympic torch reaches London, Percy added: "There will be a lot of pressure on us but we will be there in four years' time.
"Amazingly, after all we have been though, I was keen to get back out there straight away. I just really enjoy the process. We are always looking into how we can improve and get better, and hopefully the luck will be with us.
"It's accessible, wet, windy and fun. It is important for people to realise how easy it is to get into the sport, how cheap it is to start.
"Sailing is a difficult sport - it is like doing a formula one race without the pit crew. Things go wrong quite a lot but get out there and have a look."
Britannia will once again rule the waves at the Olympics in four years' time - and have the best-looking female sailors to boot.
That's the view of Beijing gold medallists Iain Percy and Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, who won the Star class.
'Blondes in a boat', Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, sailed to gold in the Yngling class, while windsurfer Bryony Shaw, who posed naked to promote the Olympics, won bronze.
And Percy and Simpson believe the girls' good looks will help raise awareness of the sport and boost the chances of more GB gold medallists when the Games come to London in 2012.
Simpson said: "I don't know about the guys, but the girls are great - some of the best in the world."
Percy, 32, added: "All of our sailors are outside most of the time and a tan and a bit of fitness goes a long way. Our girls in particular are in incredible physical shape.
"I remember when the sailors went into the Olympic Village on the last day and people like Bryony Shaw, who we call the 'Pocket Rocket' and is an incredible physical specimen, looked amazing next to the other athletes."
Simpson continued: "We were slightly taken aback by that because we know the girls have been putting in a lot of hard work, but if you see that physical fitness and toning on an athlete you think it is amazing."
Simpson and Percy, best friends for 20 years, only realised they had clinched gold with "10 or 20 seconds of the race remaining" and after not drinking for two months before the Games, enjoyed the celebrations.
"The champagne went to our heads a bit," admitted 31-year-old Simpson. "We were gone pretty quickly, I'm afraid. We were men down pretty early on that night.
"I think the achievements of the sailors can be eclipsed in four years. It's great for the whole country what TeamGB have done - it has made people much happier.
"The football team have not helped the nation's cause for a while. The whole of TeamGB were always trying, giving everything they have got to try and win. You can't ask for more than that.
"If we keep pushing in the same way and the funding remains good we can do even better as a whole nation in four years time. It would be hard to do better than the six medals we won this year, but it is possible."
On the prospect of returning for TeamGB when the Olympic torch reaches London, Percy added: "There will be a lot of pressure on us but we will be there in four years' time.
"Amazingly, after all we have been though, I was keen to get back out there straight away. I just really enjoy the process. We are always looking into how we can improve and get better, and hopefully the luck will be with us.
"It's accessible, wet, windy and fun. It is important for people to realise how easy it is to get into the sport, how cheap it is to start.
"Sailing is a difficult sport - it is like doing a formula one race without the pit crew. Things go wrong quite a lot but get out there and have a look."
Labels: Beijing Olympics, gold medal, sailors
