By SUZANNE McFADDEN
Peter Fox stared out his motel window all night watching a storm he prayed would get worse so he could go to the Sydney Olympics.
At 2 am yesterday, the veteran Laser sailor was woken by howling winds and never went back to sleep.
"I was willing the winds to
stay in," 33-year-old Fox said, knowing that if the final race was abandoned, he would win the Olympic trials on a countback.
But the 40-knot winds briefly abated, and the race was sailed. And Fox still won the trial - albeit by countback.
Former world Laser champion Nik Burfoot started the day one point behind Fox, who shared the overall lead with his training buddy Rod Dawson.
Burfoot won the final race, but the wily Fox had let him go, concerned only about finishing second, ahead of Dawson, to snatch the Olympic spot.
Fox and Burfoot ended up on the same final points, but Fox had scored more wins over the 11 races.
"I knew I had to beat Rod and stay within one place of Nik," he said. "It was the most stressful day.
"It's really tough for the other guys."
Fox, who grew up sailing on Lake Taupo, has made huge sacrifices in the past year towards his Olympic dream.
He gave up his job as a project manager for a house company a year ago, so he could sail in Europe.
While he was there, he missed the birth of his first son, Grierson, born while he was sailing in the Dutch nationals.
The four-time national champion will have to wait to get the nod from the Yachting New Zealand selectors before his Olympic berth is set in concrete.
