Axing the Finn is an awful call – but at least we kept the title

I was thrilled my friend Giles Scott won the last race in my old class – a real high in a stellar week for Britain

Watching these Olympics from afar has brought back some special memories, particularly the performances of our sailors. What a week they have had.

In Rio five years ago I made a conscious decision to step back from the Olympics and not to comment too. I guess, partly, I was trying to get an America’s Cup team up and running, only a year out from the 35th Cup in Bermuda. But more than that, I did not want to be that guy who retires, then tells the next generation how it is done.

This time it feels different. I am in California with my family and have been glued to the action. I have been merrily tweeting away, supporting the squad and enjoying being a fan.

It has brought back vivid memories. From Emma Wilson’s bronze medal in the windsurfing on Saturday (I was a team-mate of her mother Penny in Atlanta in 1996) to yesterday, which was one of the great days in Olympic sailing.

Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell winning the 49er in such dramatic fashion was just great. Dylan and Stu were entering the squad when I was last involved 10 years ago. To see them race with such poise and maturity was incredible. And for them to have seen off Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, two of the best sailors in the world, made it even more impressive.

It was an incredible finale, and was followed by a second. I could not be happier for Giles Scott. We go back a long way – as friends, Finn rivals, training partners and now team-mates at Ineos Team UK.

I know what he has been going through; coming back to the Finn after stepping away, having all that pressure as the favourite. He was also in a tricky position at the start of the medal race – far enough ahead that he “should” win, but not far enough ahead that he can make mistakes. Sometimes it is easier when you just know you have to win the race outright to win the gold medal. When you have a slight buffer, you sail differently.

Giles did not know whether he was over the line at the start, but he did not want to take the risk – in case he was – so he turned back. The fact that he kept calm and made up the ground showed his experience and skill. It was a wonderfully dramatic moment.

It is brilliant to keep the Finn Olympic title in British hands as the class bows out after 69 years – a terrible decision in my opinion, if only because there are now no classes for the 85kg+ athletes.

Our winning run in the event stretches back to 2000 when another great friend, Iain Percy (inset below), won in Sydney. And speaking of “Perce”, it was a really special moment to see John Gimson and Anna Burnet, the team he coaches in the mixed Nacra 17 class, come home with a silver medal. I do not think you could find two more deserving medallists.

These Games have been a revelation for me. Not just the sailing, but the other sports too, and the stories surrounding them.

The debate over mental health, for instance. Watching Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Adam Peaty open up in such a way has been instructive. No one could accuse these athletes of being weak. They are at the top of their game and have excelled under the most incredible pressure.

So when they start saying they are being pushed too hard, that the scheduling is too much, or the pressure from media and sponsors is too much, we need to listen.

The flip side is that sport has always been about dealing with and excelling in high-pressure scenarios. Also, without the commercial partners and sponsors these major events would not happen, and the athletes would not have the platform to compete at the highest level.

I would urge the sports administrators and the agents to think hard about these issues and work to find the right balance.

Faster, higher, stronger is an inspiring motto, but it should not come at the cost of any athlete’s mental well-being.