Regardless of results on the water at the Marina da Gloria this August, sailors Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves will already be making history at Rio 2016.
But while selected as the first Britons to compete at an Olympic Games in the Nacra 17 mixed multi-hull event, the duo are determined to achieve plenty more than that and keep up Team GB’s proud tradition of ruling the waves.
With a special wave-piercing design that allows them to cut through the water with minimum drag and reaching consistently high speeds, the Nacra 17 boats will certainly be ones to look out for in Guanabara Bay.
The event is also special in that it is the only Olympic sailing class in which a man and woman competing together is obligatory.
Saxton, a European silver medallist in the 470 sailing class in 2012, and Groves – a European 49erFX bronze medallist – first teamed up in late September 2014.
And two months later they finished seventh together at the Sailing World Cup Finals in Abu Dhabi.
Since then they have gone from strength to strength, claiming the European title last year and then finishing sixth at the World Nacra 17 Championships in Florida last month.
[quote: We feel quite at home now in Rio: Ben Saxton:left]
And with their place at this summer’s Games rubber-stamped on Monday when they were announced as two of five extra sailors added to the Team GB ranks for Rio, 25-year-old Saxton believes their recent consistency could prove to be one of their biggest assets come Rio.
“The last year for us has gone really quite well. We had a long training period in the autumn and that led us up to the European Championships,” he said.
“We went into them with an attacking mindset and we smashed it with a win so we’re European champions.
“We went through another training block getting ready for some important events which we did well at, so we’re on a bit of a roll.
“I think the nice thing for our preparation is that we’re very consistent now across events. It’s a long time since we had a bad slip-up and when it’s going well we’re hitting medals.
“In our ‘bad’ races we’re finishing fifth or sixth but there are opportunities for us to finish higher. We’ve still got a step to go until we’re medalling every time, but it’s nice to win some good medals.
“But we prefer winning gold as it’s so different to winning medals of other colours.”
The countdown to Rio is firmly underway for Saxton and Groves who will take part in the Princess Sofia Regatta in Majorica at the end of this month and the Sailing World Cup event in Hyeres, France in April.
It is all part of a carefully worked-out programme devised by the British Sailing Team – who certainly know what it takes it come out on top when it matters.
At London four years ago Team GB sailors picked up five Olympic medals – including a historic fifth podium finish for the now-retired Sir Ben Ainslie.
Team GB also comfortably top the Olympic sailing medal table with 25 golds won between 1896 and 2012 – six more than nearest challengers Australia.
And while they cannot count on home advantage this time around, Team GB’s Rio-bound sailors have been sure to spend plenty of time familiarising themselves with what they will face this summer, something Groves knows is invaluable.
“We’ve been to Rio quite a lot recently which gives us a bit more confidence going into the Games. I’ve been going there since about 2013,” said the 26-year-old.
"Preparations are going really well so far, we’re in a good place, especially since becoming European champions.
“We’re working really hard towards Rio and spending a lot of time there and we’ve got a few regattas coming up for a bit more practice.”
It’s a feeling matched by Saxton too, who certainly does not appear daunted about trying to add his name to a long list of British Olympic medallists.
“We feel quite at home now in Rio,” he added. “The set-up on shore is really good and on the water. It’s great to be a part of the British sailing team because they’ve got such a great collective knowledge.”
By Katie Falkingham Sportsbeat 2016