 Fanstone (left) will now help in training Ainslie's New Zealand rivals |
Ben Ainslie will go up against the coach who helped him to Beijing Olympic gold when he competes at London 2012. Ainslie's coach Jez Fanstone has left the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and been appointed as the new programme manager for Yachting New Zealand. The three-time gold medallist worked closely with Fanstone for seven months in the run up to the Beijing Olympics where he took gold in the Finn class. Ainslie will not appoint a coach while he is focusing on the America's Cup. Ainslie's build up for the America's Cup will finally get under way in Auckland in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series on Wednesday where he will skipper of a crew that also includes fellow Beijing winner, Iain Percy in Britain's Team Origin. RYA Olympic manager Stephen Park said losing Fanstone is disappointing but it should not affect Ainslie's preparation for the London Olympics. "Ben is likely to need a new coach and the RYA will work with him on that but his programme at the moment means that he doesn't need a coach," he said.  | The quality of the people we've got here, we're all looking to win the America's Cup |
"Ben is focussing on the America's Cup so there is not an immediate issue with arranging someone. "Jez was a great member of the team and we would have loved to have him involved in 2012 but with the amount of sailing Ben is doing we didn't have the resources to keep Jez on a retainer until London."
|
Bookmark with:
What are these?