Ainslie to retire after becoming greatest ever Olympics sailor
BRITISH sailing hero Ben Ainslie revealed yesterday that after winning his fourth consecutive gold medal, London 2012 may mark the end of his Olympic career.
Ainslie came ninth in the final Finn race to finish above Denmark’s Jonas Hogh-Christensen and secure his place as the most decorated sailor in Olympic history, and then hinted that this achievement might spell an end to his glittering career.
“You can never say never but I don’t think I can sail one of these again,” he said. “It’s killing my body so I don’t think you will see me in Rio [in 2016]. But it’s the best way to bow out at a home Olympics.”
In the Star category, Brits Ian Percy and Andrew Simpson could only manage silver despite leading going into the final. The pair were pipped to the title by Sweden’s Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen, with Brazil’s Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada claiming the bronze.