Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson may be enjoying a quiet week but the Olympics is never far from their minds.

The pair come into the Games as one of the favourites after their stunning gold in China four years ago – Britain’s first in the Star class since 1988.

Percy, from Southampton , and Simpson are now only days from getting their campaign under way and are living in the British sailing team’s accommodation in Portland.

Percy admits it is a funny time as they wait for competition to begin on Sunday but, while feeling slightly in limbo, they are enjoying a quiet few days.

“It is a funny week, really,” Percy said. “If you’ve done your job right and you’re reasonably well prepared, then the week before becomes quite a quiet week.

“Obviously you don’t want to be doing massive hours training because you don’t want to tire your body out.

“If you’ve got it right, you have quite a quiet week which leaves you quite a lot of time to take in what is going on around you and deal with those pressures. “In that final week you have any number of different emotions. You have nerves for sure, confident moments as well.

“I take myself back sometimes to moments over the years where I have felt the same.

“It is a funny old week. It is probably the easiest and nicest week of the last two years but you still have got a fairly big event coming up.”

Simpson echoed Percy’s comments by admitting it is a “weird week” for the duo, who have known each other since childhood.

“We are friends, I don’t know if we’ll be friends after this,” Simpson said with a smile. “We are very lucky to be friends.

“Ben Ainslie , myself and Iain have all known each other since the age of nine and it is quite unique really.

“I am very privileged and lucky to have such good friends to sail with and against.

“It is great and when push comes to shove, we’re best mates.

“There is a big event coming up and we will fight as hard as we can for each other as we don't want to let each other down more than anything in the world.

“We know each other is trying their hardest to do well so we’re really lucky and it should be a good fun couple of weeks.”