Finn star Scott set for world title fight

Giles Scott in action in April's Princess Sofia Trophy © Richard Langdon / British Sailing Team

Giles Scott will aim to increase his Finn world title tally to four when World Championship racing gets underway in Gaeta, Italy, this weekend (Sunday 8 May).

The Rio-bound sailor, who claimed his third Finn Gold Cup victory in Takapuna, New Zealand, last November, has been putting the final touches to his event preparations at the Italian venue, where a fourth title in the heavyweight dinghy class would elevate him to the second most successful sailor in the Cup's 60-year history.

While Scott has his eyes on the bigger prize of Olympic gold later this year, he sees the World Championship as a key part of his preparations towards Rio.

"Ultimately we're looking to check in with what we've done in our build up this year, make sure that it's all still going well and try and do what we normally do – try and race well," Scott explained.

"It's a stepping stone to the Games but we're using it as a very small peak within the greater scheme of things, that being Rio obviously."

With his main focus being Rio optimisation, the 28-year-old has raced in just one regatta so far this year – the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma, where he finished second – and he is looking forward to seeing how his training is stacking up with three months to go until the Olympic competition gets underway.

"It is an important event, I'd certainly be looking to do well here and hopefully that comes off. It would be nice to win the Cup for a fourth time, so we'll see how the week plays out," Scott continued.

"Preparations have been going really well – we did some really good training out here a couple of weeks ago and this week we've just been doing some pretty short sessions on the water, just checking in with the race area.

"[The Games] is all getting a lot closer and now where we're at with the campaign, decisions are being made, equipment's being ticked off and we're certainly nearing the end of everything we've been working towards. But ultimately the next few months are the most important of those three or four years or so."

Scott is one of four British Sailing Team athletes contesting the six-day Finn Gold Cup, with 2010 World Champion Ed Wright, Ben Cornish and Peter McCoy also among the line-up of 82 sailors from 25 nations.

The Netherlands' European Champion Pieter-Jan Postma will be among the key contenders for the World Championship crown, with Olympic silver medallist Jonas Hogh-Christensen from Denmark, Australia's world number three Jake Lilley and three-time European Champion Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic from Croatia also expected to be pushing for the podium spots.

Racing will commence at the Finn Gold Cup on Sunday 8 May, with two races planned per day, weather permitting, and the final ten-boat medal race scheduled for Friday 13 May.

Results will be available at 2016.finngoldcup.org with updates throughout the week on the British Sailing Team's Facebook page and on Twitter @BritishSailing