Olympics 2008, Sailing: Form Guide to the Olympic Medal Favorites

Laser
Since Laser Olympic prizewinner Robert Scheidt graduated to the Star, young Australian Tom Slingsby has become the ruling fury in Laser sailing. He has won the past two World Championships, although he has struggled to inspire down to the weight believed to be optimum for Qingdao. Britain's Paul Goodison is naturally smaller and lighter than most of his rivals and goes into the Games undefeated on Olympic waters, having won the past two Check Regattas. Kiwi Andrew Murdoch will have benefited from experience with Goodison in the build-up, while Canadian Michael Leigh has been one of the considerable improvers of the past year.

Finn
Ben Ainslie hasn't sailed even in the Finn since winning Olympic Gold four years ago, nevertheless he has won every regatta he's competed in and is the reigning World, European and Olympic Test Circumstance Champion. He is fair favorite for Gold in Qingdao; anything else would be a disappointment. However, a number of sailors gain pushed the Briton hard in the preceding year, notably Croatia's Ivan Gaspic, who particularly likes light winds, New Zealand's Dan Slater, Canada's Chris Cook and former sphere champion from Denmark, Jonas Hoegh-Christensen. Ainslie tends to initiate the Olympic Regatta badly, but come roaring through at the latter stages. It could be closer than we expect.

49er
Exmouth school friends and sailing partners Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes have been the most dominant team in the tough-to-sail 49er skiff class over the recent two years. However, some wobbly performances earlier in the season build the 2007 world champions one shot marginal favourites for Gold ahead of reigning Olympic champions Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez. Aside from Spain, other threats to British Gold come from girlish Aussies Nathan Outteridge and Ben Austin, who were suprise winners of the Worlds at the beginning of the year, along with Athens Silver medallists from the Ukraine, Rodion Luka and George Leonchuk.

470 Men
Although they haven't excelled in the bygone year, Britain's Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield are serious contenders for Gold in the 470. They have a term for overdelivering at the Games and cotton to the pressure. On paper the Australian company of Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page are the better team, winning the recent European Championship and a hat trick of World Championships. How they respond to the force of the Olympics remains in question, as they returned from Athens without a medal. Other contenders contain the French, Italians, Portuguese and the teenage body from Fresh Zealand, Carl Evans and Peter Burling, who have been making great strides on the nature circuit in between studying for their exams at school.

RS-X Windsurfing - Men
With no limits on pumping the sail in light winds, Qingdao is predicted to be a test of aerobic fitness over sailing mode in the physically burdensome RS-X windsurfing class. New Zealand's Tom Ashley has won the Earth Championship and the Olympic Essay Regatta in the past year, although France's Julien Bontemps is a large-scale threat, particularly in the lighter winds. China's Yuanguo Zhou is dangerous in sub-planing conditions, but will daily grind provided the breeze kicks in, whereas Portugal's JoĆ o Rodrigues and Bull Britain's Nick Dempsey are capable medal hopes whether Qingdao serves up exceeding than just the usual light-wind fare.

RS-X Windsurfing - Women
The high-point of Bryony Shaw's vitality to hour has been Gold at the Olympic Inspection Regatta remain year. A supremely fit athlete, the British sailor's strengths are ideal for the conditions expected in Qingdao. However, Shaw is up against some highly decorated windsurfers, not least France's Faustine Merret, Italy's Alessandra Sensini and Distinct Zealand's Barbara Kendall, all of whom hold tasted Olympic Gold. Such experience could prove key, although many gaze Poland's Zofia Klepacka and Spain's Marina Alabau as the hottest favourites, because they seem most comfortable across the full spectrum of wind conditions.

Star
A meager fleet, but with incredible depth of talent. Some teams have been trying to find the witchcraft bullet, designing and building one-off boats in a bid to gain a brief rapidity edge, including the British team Iain Percy and Andy Simpson. At times the Brits' ambitious development program has seemed like an unnecessary distraction. Based on regatta results of contemporary months and years, Brazilians Robert Scheidt (double Olympic Champion in the Laser) and Bruno Prada derivation as marginal favourites ahead of a number of other talented teams, notably the Swiss, French, Swedish and Kiwis. If the Brits can potency into Qingdao with confidence in their boatspeed, they stand a agreeable gunfire at a medal.

Yngling
Great Britain's trio of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson are white febrile hopes for Gold in the Yngling. The Sarahs bear the confidence of activity reigning Olympic Champions while original girl Pippa has become a key department of this team, which has won every major regatta of the elapsed 12 months. Biggest threat to British dominance comes from the United states crew, skippered by Sally Barkow, and Russia's Ekaterina Skudina. The Dutch team is the product of an 11th-hour choice process that may or may not constitute a medal-winning performance.

Yachting World will be reporting vital from the Olympics 2008 Sailing events

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