With a current haul of two golds and one silver, and at the age of 31, there exists the potential for Ben Ainslie to become the Olympic Games' greatest ever sailor.
But with Ainslie's ambition of becoming an America's Cup helmsman already bearing fruit, there remains the question of whether he actually wants to beat the records set by both Paul Elvstrom (four golds) and Torben Grael (two golds, two bronze, one silver).
Macclesfield-born Ainslie gained prominence as a 19-year-old when he took silver in the Laser class at the Atlanta Games. He went one better four years later in Sydney and then claimed another gold in the Finn class four years ago in Athens.
He challenges once more in the Finn class in Beijing but, while his rivals have been assiduously preparing for this summer's Games, Ainslie has spent most of the last four years acting as reserve helmsman to Dean Barker onboard Emirates Team New Zealand in the 32nd America's Cup.
According to Skandia TeamGBR's sailing coach Stephen Park: "To sail in the Olympics, it's not a part-time job. It takes non-stop work throughout the whole four-year Olympic cycle to keep up with the competition or to stay ahead of the game.
"Not many people could juggle a full-on campaign like the America's Cup and then come back into the small boats and pick up where they left off years earlier."
But that's precisely what Ainslie has done. Resuming in the Finn class in the Olympic test event in August 2007, he destroyed the world-class field and came first.
Then, ordered to take on compatriot Ed Wright - ranked third in the world and 2006 European Champion in Ainslie's absence - in a race-off for a place in the British squad at December's Sydney International Regatta, he was picked after winning six of eight races.
The following month he won his fifth world championship in the Finn class, adding to his two Laser titles for a total of seven world crowns. A fourth European title followed, securing Ainslie a 100 percent record since his return.
Having been signed as skipper for Britain's Team Origin in the 33rd edition of the America's Cup in 2010, and having already earned rave reviews for his skills in the big boats, the question remains as to whether Ainslie has the inclination to try for six medals.
Such a feat would require a commitment up until 2016. By then Ainslie could be established in the big-money arena of yachting and earning a fortune.
However, if he does decide to split his time between two different but equally demanding disciplines, the indications are that the world - well, two-thirds of it - could be his for the taking.
