KEY POINTS:
China's wind conditions could not be more different to New Zealand's but they hold no fear for Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch.
The 25-year-old lines up this week in Qingdao, the venue for next year's Olympic sailing, for a pre-Olympic regatta that is a test run for organisers and competitors.
Murdoch will start as one of the favourites in the one-man dinghy after his silver medal-winning performance at last month's world championships in Portugal.
This followed bronze at the 2005 world championships and bronze and silver medals at world youth championships in 1999 and 2000 respectively.
Qingdao, however, is not your typical sailing venue and is renowned for generally lighter winds, polluted skies and difficult currents.
"The sailing conditions here aren't going to be easy and they're not like anything we get at other venues," Murdoch said from China on the eve of competition. "But I feel quite comfortable in them and confident I can do well.
"In two regattas earlier this year in lighter winds, I picked up podiums at both. And at a test event in China last year I picked up a bronze as well.
"When I first started sailing Lasers, lighter winds might not have been a strength of mine but now I'm really comfortable in them and see it as an opportunity to do well against the rest of the guys."
The entire New Zealand team have worked extensively over the past two years in lighter airs and this week's event will also help them better understand what they can expect in 12 months' time.
Yachting New Zealand set a goal of winning two Olympic medals next year and this remained unchanged after collecting two medals at the world championships. Veteran boardsailor Barbara Kendall was the other silver medallist in Portugal.
The pair have already won selection for the Olympics, along with Jo Aleh (Laser Radial) and Dan Slater (Finn), and others could soon join them if they perform well at this week's regatta.
Eight classes qualified from Portugal and nominations will be made up until early 2008.
"Getting the nomination the other day from the selectors makes it a little more real," Murdoch said. "It's pretty exciting, but it's important I just treat it like any other regatta."
