He had been building up to that race since he first jumped into a boat, and after a thrilling race, the Rhu sailor and his partner, Stuart Bithell, had emerged with a silver medal.

After the games Patience enjoyed a four month sabbatical, took part in homecoming parades and soaked up the glory, but while that Olympic silver medal still fills him with pride one year on, he now has a new target, a new aim, a new mission.

With three years to go until the Rio 2016 Olympics, Patience has split from racing partner Bithell and teamed up with the experienced Joe Glanfield, with the pair set on winning gold in Brazil.

Patience explained: "I guess because I'm now involved in a new campaign my mind has turned towards Rio as opposed to the four-month period I had off where it was all about the Olympics and what had just happened." Reflecting on missing gold, Patience said: "It's something that drives me every day, knowing that we didn't win and that's why we all do it - that's why every elite sportsman does what they do.

"That small bit of negativity, if that's what you can call it, I've turned into drive and inspiration to push even harder." Glanfield knows how Patience felt when he narrowly missed out on the top prize in London having twice claimed Olympic silver himself and Patience continued: "I think probably the biggest strengths of Joe and I as a team is that combined experience together and that combination of the older head and the younger head. "The colours of the three medals we've collectively got means we're dangerous.

"I'm really excited by that.

"Joe's come out of retirement because he feels he's got unfinished business and I do too, even though I'm more at the start of my career. "My vocab doesn't compliment how much I think about winning gold and how much I live and breathe it - it's 24/7, it's 365, it's what it's all about day and night and we have so much drive and energy behind us right now." Patience's Brazil build up is well under way, and after visiting Rio to check out the venues and conditions, he knows he is in for a tough challenge in 2016: "I went to Rio for a fleeting visit at the end of last year. It's a crazy city, it's busy, there's hustle and bustle, there's manic traffic, amazing scenery, and buildings everywhere. "It's noisy, there are parties and the beach and just so much to take in at once. It's going to be a tricky venue for us sport-wise.

"It is light winds, it is tidal, the high land everywhere is going to make it tricky and it's going to be a real challenge - in a good way. We'll see what to expect, but my initial impressions are it will be a challenge in terms of making it feel like home and being comfortable in the race area because of how changeable it can be.

"That's a bit of a different side to the coin than Weymouth which very much was home."