Interview with Ben Cornish: Rising Finn star of the British Sailing Team
by Jonny Fullerton 27 Nov 2015 20:11 UTC
27 November 2015
Ben Cornish on day 3 of the Finn Gold Cup in New Zealand © Robert Deaves
Jonny Fullerton interveiws Ben Cornish, the rising star in the Finn class of the British Sailing Team at the Finn Gold Cup in Takapuna, New Zealand.
Jonny Fullerton: Ben, I believe this is your second Finn Gold Cup?
Ben Cornish: Yes, that's right. I did my first one in last year in Santander.
JF: It's a very strong fleet, all the top sailors are here competing at this event. Give us an idea of what your aims and goals are for this regatta?
BC: It's definitely going to be a hard regatta, with everyone building up towards the Olympics. It's probably going to be one of the hardest events that I've done so far. If I can put myself into the Medal Race then I'll be pretty pleased.
JF: At this stage an Olympic place is still a dream for you, but do you think you can gain from the experience of sailing against people like Giles Scott and Ed Wright?
BC: Obviously the Olympics is round the corner and Giles has been selected. For me it's about progressing as much as I can during these big events and being able to line up against people like him and Ed, guys who are really at the top of their game. It's good for me to see how their progress is coming on and being able to compare my pace to the front guys.
JF: You had some good results in the warm-up regatta including a good race win and leading another race before you pulled off the course. Are you enjoying the conditions out in Takapuna?
BC: They're almost English conditions at the moment with all the rain! It's a tricky place to race with a lot of shifts, but I think we're starting to get our heads around it and we saw in the training that we're going quick which is good. Pushing towards the front of the fleet is always a good confidence boost.
JF: Do you enjoy the big breeze or do you have a speciality?
BC: I quite enjoy the physical aspect of it but I think we could get a real mix here in Auckland.
JF: Recent research has shown that Finn sailors are getting younger, fitter and stronger and there are a whole bunch of guys out here that fit that criteria. What are your views on that?
BC: I think the sport as a whole is moving forward, sailing is becoming more professional and sailors are becoming more athletic. People are realising that the more work you do, the more progress you can make on the water. I think that gain is really becoming more noticeable now.
JF: Good luck on the water and I'm sure we'll be catching up with you again soon.
BC: Perfect, thanks very much.