Olympic Games / Prospects for Gold - Sailing: Smith compelled by a convenient quest: Stuart Alexander assesses the chances of success in Barcelona for the man leading Britain's sailing challenge

IT MAY not be an attitude shared by most of his fellow competitors, but the man leading Britain's sailing challenge in Barcelona is at the Olympics because he has nothing better to do.

Lawrie Smith is the star of British yacht racing. Brash and highly talented, at the age of 36 he would be the automatic choice for a British America's Cup challenge, if it could be put together. He would be a leading candidate to skipper a British entry in the Whitbread Round the World Race, but his aspirations have foundered on a lack of sponsorship money.

England remains frightened of parading large marketing and campaign budgets in public and therefore has to watch the French, Japanese, New Zealanders and Australians compete in the America's Cup big league. Britain can barely raise a worthwhile Admiral's Cup team.

The result of all this is that Smith is casting around for something to do. He has become heavily involved with a financially revitalised Ultra 30 circuit, but this is not enough to fully occupy him. Hence his concentration on the Olympics.

Smith's entitlement to the place is not questioned. He was fourth in the three-man boat, the Soling, in Seoul, and has not only steam- rollered the challenge of rival Glyn Charles but he has also poached one of Charles' crew members, Rob Cruikshank. With the wily Ossie Stewart completing the trio, Smith humbled Germany's defending gold medallist, Jochen Schumann, at the pre- Olympic Games regatta in the Netherlands seven weeks ago.

Smith has a boat which he is confident is as fast as any of the opposition, is fully equipped and is this week completing the final part of the training programme just north of Barcelona. Asked if he is going to win the gold medal, he turned on an impish grin and said: 'We'll just have to see, won't we?'

Pressed on how motivated he is, his reply is hedged with provisos about the need for luck, about how an assessment will have to be made after the first two or three races, about almost anything other than the fact that this is the biggest prize around.

So does he have an attitude problem? The other competitors know that Smith is very talented and that acts as a magnet to others who wish to sail with him, a repellent for anyone who has the slightest crack in morale.

His Lancashire bluntness (he comes from Bury) is renowned. For him, Barcelona can be a bridgehead to fame and fortune and Smith can certainly be motivated by money.

For all that, he is a genuine candidate for gold, even if the match- racing - rather than fleet racing - skills by which the medals will be decided are not the strongest of his many talents. He is equally happy in the lighter and often tricky conditions which are expected in Barcelona as he is in the medium to stronger breezes which could hold surprises for all the competitors.

He recently made hard work of beating a moderate field in Britain's leading match-racing competition, the Lymington Cup two weeks ago. Smith only just made the cut into the semi-finals for that event.

In Barcelona, the leading six yachts from six fleet races will qualify for the play-offs. Where Smith finishes in that six does not matter; the only thing that matters is that he makes the cut. From that point on Smith will be one of the toughest competitors to beat.

Olympic sailors have complained of pollution in the waters off Barcelona. The New Zealander Bruce Kendall had seen five rats and two refrigerators near the shore. 'There is everything from seaweed and plastic bags to condoms and sanitary towels,' Nikolaos Kaklamankis, of Greece, said.

(Photograph omitted)