TWO rising stars from Portland have been announced as the newest members of Team GB for the London 2012 Olympic Games, by the British Olympic Association (BOA).

Weston’s Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell, who compete in the Men’s 470 Class, have been nominated to Team GB by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the national governing body for the sport of Sailing.

The addition of Patience and Bithell brings to 21 the number of athletes who have officially been selected for Team GB.

The announcement was made yesterday to coincide with the 200-day countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Portland duo have been competing together since 2009 and, in their relatively brief time together, have enjoyed a steady rise in the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) world rankings.

They finished the 2010 season ranked fourth in the world and clinched their place on Team GB by winning the silver medal at the 2011 ISAF World Championships last month in Perth, Australia.

Patience and Bithell made their debut in the 470 World Championships in 2009 after having competed together for just two weeks and brought home a silver medal. Patience, 25, who is originally from Helensburgh, Scotland, began sailing in an Optimist at the age of seven and started racing two years later at Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club.

He said: “I feel so privileged and am so excited to have been selected.

“I can’t wait to be a part of a home Games in one of the greatest cities on earth. We’re absolutely not just going for the T-shirt though.

“We have just one goal and that’s to win a gold medal this summer in London so selection is by no means the end of the job.” Bithell, 25, who is originally from Rochdale, was introduced to sailing as a seven-year-old and began racing competitively at the age of 12.

He said: “Although we never doubted ourselves, it’s still a big relief to have been selected and to know that we’ll be there on the startline at our first Olympic Games and doing our best to bring home gold.”

Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said: “Despite having competed together for a relatively short period of time, Luke and Stuart have quickly risen to the top of their sport.

“They have done so by blending their remarkable talent with an unwavering work ethic and a commitment to excellence that is the hallmark of British sailing, and we are proud to welcome them to Team GB.”

RYA Olympic manager Stephen Park said the Portland duo were ‘classic example of how getting the right complement of skill-sets for helm and crew in the boat can really launch sailors’ careers’.

He added: “Campaigning to represent Team GB at the Games in this class is probably the hardest challenge.

“With double Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers sailing with Chris Grube and double World Champions Nic Asher and Elliot Willis to contend with it’s been a tough battle to gain the British selection spot. “A number of podium positions throughout 2011, including silver at both the European and World Championships, show that Luke and Stuart are on track for the podium in 2012 and I’m confident they’ll be promising sailors in the programme for years to come.”

team Patience Bithell on Twitter

The GB team so far

THE 13 sailors who have been selected for Team GB in London 2012 are:

• Ben Ainslie – Triple gold medallist sailor, Finn heavyweight dinghy class, lives in Lymington, Hampshire

• Paul Goodison – Beijing gold medallist Laser dinghy sailor, lives in Wyke Regis, Weymouth

• Bryony Shaw – Beijing bronze medallist RSX Women windsurfer, former Weymouth schoolgirl now lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent

• Nick Dempsey – Athens bronze medallist RSX Men windsurfer, lives in Wyke Regis, Weymouth

• Lucy Macgregor, Kate Macgregor and Annie Lush – Elliott 6m, the new Women’s Match Racing event, all from Poole

• Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson – Beijing gold medallist Star keelboat sailors, Percy is originally from Southampton but currently lives in Valencia, Spain, Simpson lives in Sherborne, Dorset

• Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark – 470 Women dinghy sailors, live in Rodwell and Wyke Regis, Weymouth

• Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell – 470 Men dinghy sailors, live in Weston, Portland Selection trials in the 49er and Laser Radial classes are ongoing.