HAMPSHIRE sailors were today bidding to continue the county’s already golden Olympic weekend on the waters off Weymouth.

Lymington-based Ben Ainslie is aiming to make history this afternoon with victory guaranteeing his status as the greatest ever sailing Olympian.

He needs to finish ahead of arch rival Jonas Hogh-Christensen from Denmark in the Finn class final double points showdown race at 2pm.

If he does that - and is in the top seven boats overall – the gold medal is his.

The 35-year-old Ainslie is already Britain’s most decorated sailor with one Laser class silver at his first Games at Atlanta in 1996 and three golds at Sydney in 2000 (Laser), Athens in 2004 (Finn) and Beijing in 2008 (Finn).

Another gold today would see him eclipse the record of Denmark’s Paul Elvstrom, currently the most successful Olympic sailor ever with four golds from 1948 to 1960.

One hour earlier Southampton’s Iain Percy and crewmate Andrew Simpson are in pole position to reclaim their Olympic title in the Star class.

The pair are already guaranteed at least bronze but will get gold if they finish fourth or better in the final double points showdown, whatever their rivals do.

Royal Yachting Association Olympic manager Stephen Park said: “Ben is coping with the pressure very well. I think of all the sailors in that Finn fleet he has had to deal with a lot of pressure and expectation for a huge number of years now.

“Iain and Bart have got a few points cushion so long as they are in touch with the Swedes and particular the Brazilians, even if they are behind, they will win the gold. They have quietly gone about their business, part of that is due to the media wanting to focus on the battle in the Finn class, but if Iain wins, which I’m sure he will, it will be his third gold medal.

“That immediately puts him into an elite group of athletes across all sports. To win three gold medals across three Games is a fantastic achievement in terms of longevity of performance at the very top end of your sport.”