Graphic: the gold rush

Ben Ainslie's final run-in to the Olympics did not begin the way he intended. “Three days before racing began in my Finn class I was in bed with mumps,” he said. “I had never had it before, and this was a relatively mild form, but the doctors told me to take it easy and keep away from the rest of the GB squad.

“So on the Wednesday before the Games began I was in bed all day. The next day I went out for a practice sail - not least because I didn't want to let my rivals know I was ill - but I was pretty knackered and struggled.

“That is no excuse for my indifferent start to the regatta when I came tenth. In fact, I was in a great position with one leg of the first race to go and then the wind turned inside out. It was really frustrating. Like in Athens in 2004, which began with a ninth place and a disqualification, I just had to pick myself up and get back in it.

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“I had to string together some top-five finishes and with wins in the second, fourth and fifth races, I was doing well but then I was tenth again. You discount your worst finish, but I had had two bad runs. But in the frustratingly light wind everyone was being erratic. It was really only Zach Riley, the American, who was staying with me. As we got near the end of the regatta, it was all about keeping an eye on him, and hanging on to my lead.”

Even when he reached the medal race on Saturday, Ainslie was still beset by problems. “We spent a long time hanging around before starting and had raced two legs when the wind just disappeared and the race was abandoned,” he said. “I had one hand on the gold medal, but had to stay focused.

“On Sunday, the conditions were completely opposite. It was pouring with rain and we had to come in for a while because visibility was so poor. But when we went back out, the windy conditions allowed me to control the race and finish first.”

His races are run, but Ainslie is happy to leave the stage to his team-mates and is confident there is more success to come. “There is a great mood in the GB camp. Paul Goodison is expected to win a gold in the Laser today and we have medal chances in other classes.

“I'm going to be staying in Qingdao for the rest of the week to cheer these guys on and then I'm looking forward to getting home and having a lot of parties.”