A TOUCH of gold came to the Fylde this week as a triumphant Olympian went to thank the men behind the mast.

Olympic gold medallist Iain Percy visited BAE Systems in Warton on October 18 to show his appreciation to the engineers who helped with the revolutionary design of his boat's mast.

Iain won the gold medal in the Finn single-handed men's dinghy class in Sydney, bringing Great Britain another gold medal and helping to take the overall total to eleven.

He gained the gold with one race to spare after his nearest competitor, Frederick Loof, was unable to finish in the top five in the penultimate race.

Iain, pictured here showing off his prized gold medal, told The Citizen how it feels to have done so well for his country. "It's just brilliant, and the reception from the public has been fantastic.

"It was just a relief at first in Sydney, because you put in so much hard effort in training for years that to finally win and do what you set out to do is great. "I have received letters from previous gold medal winners who have told me that at first it is all razzmatazz which soon settles down. But the feeling inside never goes away, so I have been told."

During his visit Iain went to the research and technology department to talk to the engineers who helped with the design of his victorious vessel.

BAE Systems engineers at both Warton and Samlesbury helped to design the revolutionary mast, which gave him the leading edge in his Olympic bid.

"Technology is so much a part of modern sport and the designs for the boat were first completed six years ago, but there have been many alterations and adjustments across the years", said Iain

"It is great to come up here and meet some of the massive team from BAE Systems with whom we have been working for so long."

Iain is unsure of exactly where he'll be going in the future, but he is certainly staying in sailing.

Will he win another gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens? "I'll definitely try," he said.