It is a huge honour to be selected to represent Great Britain at this year’s Olympic Games - my fourth - which will be held in Beijing in August. As in most sports, selection is rarely easy and because in sailing we have only one spot per nation for each class of boat, it has been very tough for the British selectors.

I am delighted to have been given the chance to race in the Finn class again, but I must mention my rival in Skandia Team GBR for that one position, Ed Wright, who has been one of the top Finn sailors in the world for the past few years. At the moment, he is third in the world rankings and if he were sailing for any other country he would probably be going to China this summer as a medal contender. The Olympic trail can be a cruel one at times.

After three years learning how to sail as part of a large crew in the America’s Cup, I have been pleased so far with my return to Olympic sailing and the Finn dinghy. I have been struck by the increased physicality of the boat and the extra demands on fitness required to be at the top of the game.

Training in Australia for more than two months has already been crucial to me winning the Sydney International Regatta before Christmas, which led to my Olympic selection by the Royal Yachting Association and the British Olympic Association. However, selection is one step down the road to Olympic glory and the hard work has only just begun. Despite sailing a single-handed boat, there are a number of people who support me in my campaign and I would like to thank my sponsors, JPMorgan Asset Management and Henri Lloyd, my coaches, David Howlett and Jez Fanstone, and, of course, my family and friends.

After the Sydney regatta I enjoyed a short break in Fiji over Christmas. Some very good friends run a resort on a secluded island in the middle of nowhere. It was a slightly odd venue to be eating turkey but it was fantastic to be able to recharge the batteries and get ready for the challenges ahead.

Next up are the World Championships at the end of this month here in Melbourne. I expect the conditions will be windy, not at all like in China, but it will be a great physical challenge and it will be important to gain another strong result. Then, after spending so long away, it will be nice to get home and catch up with family and friends before starting the European racing season, which runs until June.

June and July will be spent training in China, trying to gain as good an understanding of the unique conditions as possible. Sailing is a sport where venue familiarisation is crucial.

The Finn class, as it stands, is very open. A few of the old stalwarts will be back in Qingdao, such as Rafa Trujillo, the silver medal-winner in 2004 and defending world champion from Spain, and Emilios Papathanasiou, the veteran Greek. Of the younger generation, Jonas Hoegh-Christensen, the Dane who leads the world rankings, and Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic, of Croatia, stand out as the most likely talent to make it among the medal-winners in China.

This will be my fourth Olympics, after winning silver and gold in the Laser class in Atlanta and Sydney and then gold in the Finn four years ago. The aura and occasion of the Olympics is still very special, even now, but I am going to China for no other reason than to try to win another medal, preferably gold. At almost 31, I’m getting to the age where I am not sure how many Games I have left in me, so I need to make it count.

My other sailing commitment lies with Team Origin, Britain’s America’s Cup challenge. The sailing world is awaiting the next court ruling from the United States, which should give a good indication as to when the 33rd America’s Cup will be held. Team Origin is an amazing group and I very much hope we can hold the team together until we have a cup to race for. For the next six months, however, my focus is on China and the Olympic Games.