Ben Ainslie in AthensAinslie led the series at the end of each day and the final race was abandoned shortly after it had started leaving him in front of the other 97 competitors.
"It's pretty big, especially if you look through the class history and see the sorts of sailors who have won it before, some of whom are among my heroes," he said.
His coach, David Howlett, is still amazed at his performance in the Finn, particularly on the downwind legs. "He is 40 metres faster on the leg than anyone in the light winds, and 150 metres faster when the wind is strong," he said.
Rod Carr, the chief executive of the Royal Yachting Association, agreed: "Ben has remarkable natural talent and it's a pleasure to watch him."
The next major project for Ainslie is as back-up skipper for Team New Zealand's challenge for the America's cup. He also hopes to compete for Great Britain in the Beijing 2008 Games.
19 September 2005
