Battle of the blondes

The two Sarahs, Webb and Ayton, have teamed up with new crew-mate Pippa Wilson — yet another blonde — to give Robertson the mother of all battles over the right to represent Britain in 2008 at Beijing.

Over the next eight months, Robertson, a mother of six-month-old twins and from Dundee, will either stay on course to add to her two sailing gold medals or be stopped in her tracks by two rivals who were her closest allies.

The unfolding drama of who wins the race for selection to the Great Britain team in the Yngling class promises to be one of the most fascinating stories of 2007 — with at least one member of the 2004 gold medal crew from Athens sure to be disappointed.

Where once there was team harmony, an intense rivalry has been created, prompting Webb to say: "Standing on the podium was an amazing experience just because I felt I was the best in the world. If we did it again this time, it would be even better."

When Robertson, Webb and Ayton paraded on the dockside in Greece wearing T-Shirts proclaiming Britannia Rules the Waves', they were hailed as Three Blondes in a Boat' and feted as national heroes.

But within weeks the crew had broken up. They all retained Olympic aspirations but not as a threesome. Tensions in the boat had changed their attitudes and ruled out another long build-up together.

Robertson, 38, wanted to take a break before preparing for her fifth Olympic Mediterranean, they practised against a German crew.

"We couldn't train with another British crew," said Ayton. "We'd have given too many secrets away."

Now the serious action begins. The two Sarahs and Wilson, after an 18-month programme which brought their ranking to No 2 in the world, are about to compete in a regatta in Miami, Florida, while Robertson's crew continue training in Majorca.

Their joint target is the British Olympic trials in Portugal in July, the winners going on to represent GB in the pre-Olympic regatta in Qingdao, China, in August.

"The question everybody's asking is: 'Can we beat Shirley?'," said Webb, 29. "We have to look at her as if she's any other competitor. We have to be single-minded and professional in how we are with her, the same way we are with everyone else.

"We need friends on the racecourse and she has to be one of them. But we still have to beat her. That would mean beating one of the best in the world, which has to be a good thing for our chances of going on to win the gold."

Ayton, 26, the bow at Athens, has taken over Robertson's position of helm (or skipper), assuming a greater share of off-course responsibilities.

"It's given me a new challenge and made me realise how well Shirley ran the 2004 campaign," she said. "I learned a lot from her and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to take on those tasks myself. It's a big deal."

The two Sarahs are relishing being in control. Webb said: "Shirley was very much the leader and we were the two crew. One of the things Sarah and I decided when we started was that it wasn't how we wanted to run our ship.

"We wanted a team unity in everything we did. We wanted to enjoy being with each other and learning all the time. Having tried that in the past year, it has made a big difference. We understand each other a lot better. It not only makes for better results but a happier team environment, which can only be a good thing."

They accept that Robertson, OBE, an ambassador for London 2012 and chasing an unprecedented third gold medal for a British sportswoman, has the public's backing.

"Shirley is the sentimental favourite and we might be seen as the bad guys if we stop her going to Beijing," said Webb. "We're snapping at her heels but that's what sport's all about. We're the next generation."