Name: Helena Lucas

Date of birth: April 29 1975

Star sign: Taurus

Place of birth: Redhill, Surrey

Current hometown: Southampton

Nickname: H, Little H, Helly

First boat you sailed and where? Enterprise with my parents on Hedge Court Lake

Who got you into Sailing? My parents

Favourite boat: Extreme 40, I had a chance to have a go on Shirley’s boat in Hyeres, it was awesome even though there were a couple of scary moments

Worst moment in your sailing career? Doing the death roll in the Enterprise with my mum and dad when I was only eight

Best moment in your sailing career? Sailing the Yngling with Annie Lush and Lucy McGregor at the Beijing test event and winning silver

Best sailing venue in the UK? Weymouth

Best sailing venue in the World? Perth, Australia

Most annoying rule in the sailing rule book? Z flag, it’s hardly ever used these days, probably because everyone thinks the same as me that it’s pointless

If you weren’t a professional sailor what else would you be? Yacht designer/Naval architect

How do you progress from a club sailor to an Olympic-class sailor? Through the RYA youth system

What are your greatest passions outside of sailing? Spending time and sailing with Steve my partner, windsurfing and skiing

Has injury ever prevented you from sailing? No

Most expensive sailing accident? When I wrote off a brand new Tornado mast that we were taking home on the roof of a van. We stopped over night at a hotel and as we turned in to the car park the mast caught on the trailer behind and folded in two

Football club you support? Southampton, we used to have season tickets but when they got relegated decided it was too expensive. I like to watch Man U play too

Any heroes? Lance Armstrong, Seb Coe

What other sports do you play? Skiing, windsurfing, cycling, badminton

What would you love to do but never have the time or money for it? To sail around the world with my partner in a luxury yacht

Worst habit? Talking too much

What word or phrase most depicts your personality? Bubbly

If you were a pantomime character who would it be? Cinderella

Do you have any lucky charms or rituals? I have a lucky DVD (Wimbledon)

What’s your biggest fear or phobia? Having rats crawling all over me

If you had a theme song what would it be? Queen – We Will Rock You

Favourite reality show and would you go on it? X Factor and no I can’t sing

Name three things that are always in your shopping trolley? Diet Coke, bagles and tomatoes

What was the last book you read? Bradley Wiggins Autobiography

What makes you angry? Not getting my own way

Dream holiday? Sailing and windsurfing in the Caribbean

What’s better about football than sailing? There are no postponements

Where do you keep your medals? On a shelf