After a ‘pretty intense' time building up their training and competing over the past three months Tauranga sailor Jason Saunders is hoping a new training programme will pay off this week.

Jason, 21, who has been sailing at the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club since he was nine, says everything is going well for him and his 470 skipper Paul Snow Hansen, 21, since resuming training in Weymouth three weeks ago.

Tauranga's Jason Saunders and Paul Snow Hansen are competing in the Men's Two Person Dinghy event in the 470 class at Weymouth. Photo supplied.

After a two month block of intense training in Europe the pair returned to New Zealand for a fortnight of light training late last month.

'Europe included three events plus a couple of training regattas and we spent a bit of time here in Weymouth getting used to the conditions.”

The decision to ramp up training followed the team's poor performance at an Olympic test event last year where they placed 16th – realising the biggest difference between them and the top competitors was the ability to race consistently well.

'So basically we put together a programme which included doing a lot of regattas, and really getting in as much good quality racing as possible. This meant we have spent a lot of time overseas this year.”

The pair has both given up university studies in Auckland for the past 18 months to focus on sailing, to help them sail well against their many more experienced competitors.

'We are definitely young compared to the fleet, but I think if we sail as well as we know we are able to, then standing on that podium at the end is definitely achievable.

'We really want to finish the regatta knowing that we sailed to the best of our ability and have no regrets.”

Jason thrives on the competitive spirit of sport; saying seeing the passion, determination and fight athletes show when competing makes him want to prove he can do it too.

'It is so obvious in every sport that hard work and commitment pays off and for me the feeling you get after really performing well at a regatta after putting in all that work is what keeps me going.”