We catch up with Ben Ainslie

"It's largely thanks to support of those that play The National Lottery that athletes like myself have had the best possible chances at winning Olympic medals for Great Britain."

On the waters off Qingdao in Southern China in 2008, Ainslie became Britain's greatest Olympic sailor. His victory in the Finn class made it three successive gold medals and along with the silver he won in 1996 in Atlanta, he overtook Rodney Pattison as Britain's most successful Games' yachtsman.

Sailing was always in his blood. His father Roderick skippered a boat that, in 1973, competed in the first Whitbread Round The World Race and by the age of 11 Ben was among the honours when he won the under-12s Optimist Open and National Championships.

By 1995 he had won gold at the World Youth Championships, having first tasted life in a boat with his parents when he was only three. He was the skipper of Team Origin, the British boat that was set to make a bid for the America's Cup in 2013 before the team owner's decided not to challenge.

Ben is determined to win a fourth gold in London 2012 and after returning to the Finn class, he triumphed in style at the Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth in June on the waters where the Olympics will be staged. It puts him in pole position to be selected for the event at the Games.