The 34-year-old won the men's Laser class in Beijing four years ago and will represent Team GB once more at Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour.

Goodison lives in the area and is expected to challenge for gold, but insists he feels no added burden.

"All the pressure put on me is done internally," he said. "I want to be the very best I can and I want to win. If I am not winning, I am not happy so it pushes me on to try harder, to train harder, to get the results right.

"I guess every Olympics is the same. You get one chance every four years so the pressure is massive.

"To be honest, I have not really noticed any more pressure for these Games and I have not put any added pressure on myself, but I think that is because I am putting so much pressure on myself already.

"It doesn't really feel that much different, but maybe when I turn up to the event things might change when your mum, dad, auntie, uncle and everybody that knows you under the sun is there.

Progressing

"I think the pressure is under control and I think it needs to be to get the best possible result."

Goodison, speaking on behalf of Skandia Team GBR's official performance clothing supplier Musto, has started 2012 in superb fashion, following up January's victory in the Miami World Cup regatta with second place in the recent Palma event.

"I guess the closer you get to the Games almost the more important the regattas become, not just to see how you're progressing but also how all the competition is progressing," he said.

"Miami was a fantastic result and Palma I am maybe a little bit frustrated by, but there were plenty of good points to come out of there.

"It is reassuring to see we are heading in the right direction and things are getting better."

While irritated by his performance in Mallorca, Goodison is rightfully proud of his achievements in the United States after only deciding to do the event at the last minute.

"I was competing in Key West, Florida in a 40-foot race boat with some of the other guys that I race with," he said.

"Miami is literally a half-hour flight away and I kind of tied it into the way home so it was just another chance to go and practice some of the stuff from the World Championships that needed addressing.

"It kind of made sense so I wasn't completely prepared, arriving the day before, but it all went well."

Goodison is now back in Weymouth after spending most of the past six months out of the country, competing and training in warmer climes.

Promotion

Despite being the other side of the world at times, the Yorkshireman has managed to keep tabs on his beloved Sheffield United.

The Blades are in a tussle with city rivals Wednesday for promotion from npower League One and currently lie second in the table.

"I am absolutely gutted because I have not been to a game yet this season, but I am always looking every weekend for how they are getting on," Goodison added.

"I still have quite a lot of banter with some of my school friends, who are obviously not all reds so some of them are blues.

"I quite often come in at a funny time in a foreign time zone to find my phone beeping away, with one of the lads taking the mickey saying Wednesday have just won and United have lost.

"It would be fantastic if United could get promoted and I could win the Games this year."