OLYMPIAN Sarah Dempsey may miss the 2012 Games after splitting from team-mate Pippa Wilson.

Pippa, 23, who now lives on Portland, has decided to target British team selection with Weymouth’s Saskia Clark instead, in her pursuit for gold.

New mum Sarah, of Wyke Regis, who won her second gold medal sailing with Pippa and Sarah Webb at last year’s Beijing Olympics was hoping to be the first woman to win three gold medals at successive Olympics.

But unless she can find a new partner and prove the new team is better than the Clark-Wilson partnership she may be forced to watch the event from the sidelines.

The trio sailed to victory in the Yngling women’s keelboat class but were forced to change classes when the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) axed the Yngling event from the 2012 line-up.

Sarah Webb retired from sailing while Sarah and Pippa formally announced their campaign to race in the 470 women’s dinghy class at the next Olympic sailing events in Weymouth and Portland.

They had intended to resume training together this November – following the birth of Sarah’s first child Thomas in June.

But now Pippa has decided her best chance of success lies with Saskia, 30, a former number one in the 470 class.

The pair had already teamed up to compete in this week’s Skandia Sail for Gold regatta, hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

It is likely that Pippa will go head-to-head with her former skipper at forthcoming events to win a place on Team GB for the home Games, where British sailors are expected to earn a large medal haul.

The split echoes the break-up of the original ‘Three blondes in a boat’ – Shirley Robertson, Weymouth’s Sarah who was then Ayton and Sarah Webb – four years ago.

Double gold medallist Shirley took a 12-month break to become the mother of twins and the two Sarahs formed a new crew with Pippa as their third member.

When Shirley returned with her own new crew she was beaten to a place on the British team at the 2008 Games by her former team-mates.

Double gold medallist Sarah, 28, who watched her husband Nick achieve the world windsurfing title in the RS:X World Championships in the borough last week, will announce her new campaign plans in the next couple of weeks.

She said: “Pippa was in the same situation that I was after Athens in 2004. I was so eager to get on with my own programme and that’s what she wants to do too.

“Four years on, I went through a period where I didn’t know what motherhood would bring. I couldn’t commit 100 per cent so my advice to her as a friend was to make it happen for herself and look for other options.

“I could have selfishly kept her waiting by insisting I’d definitely be doing the Olympics, then in six months’ time say I couldn’t do it.

“There comes a time when you have to be realistic and not ruin someone else’s chances. I hope we’ll always be best mates.”