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Forty-six year old Ben Ainslie (GBR), considered the most successful sailor in Olympic history, is stepping away from the helm in the SailGP sports league. After a dust-up with the Kiwi team in October, and recently voted the biggest trash talker by his competitors, Ainslie hands over the wheel of the Emirates GBR team to double Olympic Gold medalist and America’s Cup teammate Giles Scott.
“It’s probably the toughest decision I’ve had to make in my sporting career,” shared Ainslie. “Like any big decision, there’s plenty that goes into it and a lot of factors at play.
“As the CEO of both Emirates GBR and the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup Team, and most importantly a husband and father, at some point you’ve got to realize that you can’t do everything.
“I’m coming to that point where it’s time to let the next generation come through and have their opportunity. We’ve got a huge talent in Giles Scott, he’s one of the best in the sport and he will suit this style of racing perfectly. He’s an incredible sailor, one of the best I’ve ever raced with, but he’s also a very mature, level-headed person and that’s why I think he will do a fantastic job in SailGP.”
Ainslie and Scott have a long history, initially competing against each other to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Scott pushed hard and it was an extremely close competition, but Ainslie was successful in selection and went on to secure his fourth Gold medal before retiring from Olympic sailing. The torch was then passed to Scott, who competed at the Rio 2016 Games, winning Gold in the Finn class, before achieving the double at Tokyo 2020…
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