The 30-year-old from Sheffield was Ben Ainslie's training partner in Sydney in 2000 and as his successor in the Laser class, he was naturally touted as the next Ainslie.

But Goodison was so upset after missing out on a medal in Athens that he nearly quit the sport.

"I was absolutely distraught," he said. "I thought, 'I never want to feel like this again'. I was in two minds whether to carry on but at the end of the day I was one point off standing on the podium and I figured I've got to put something right."

He won both Olympic test events in Qingdao in 2006 and 2007 but was only eighth at the Worlds in January, though it was his first regatta back from a broken wrist suffered while mountain biking.

Since then he has added a fourth straight European championship in July, is ranked second in the world behind Australia's two-time world champion Tom Slingsby, and is brimming with confidence.

"Going back to China knowing I'm the only person that has won there puts a lot of pressure on the other guys," he said.

Racing in the Laser class begins on 12 August with the medal race on 17 August.