Dear Luke

Tokyo 2020 11 Aug 20

Luke Patience was born in Aberdeen, Scotland on 4 August 1986.

When he was two years old, his dad John's work as an architect took the family to the west coast town of Rhu - nestled between Loch Gare and Loch Lomond. 

From a long line of sailors and fisherman, Luke was on the water from the age of three and showed his talent in the Optimist boat, the starting craft for all emerging racers. 

Luke was sitting next to Stuart Bithell when London won the right to host the 2012 Olympics and seven years later, the pair won silver at Weymouth in the 470 class. 

Tragedy struck months before Rio 2016 when Luke's 470 partner Elliot Willis was diagnosed with colon cancer. 

Elliot has fought a successful battle with cancer and Luke made the start line in Rio, finishing fifth alongside Chris Grube, with whom he will compete at Tokyo 2020.

In the first of a new series on TeamGB.com, Luke writes a letter to his 10-year-old self, laced with life lessons and reflections on moments that have made him.

Dear Luke, 

It's an achievement to get you to sit still for long enough to read this letter - you're an excitable wee fella and always have been! 

Dad has brought you up to be proud of your roots. You'll travel all over the world for your job - from San Francisco Bay to the western frontier of Myanmar - but Scotland will always pull you back. 

The mates you're messing around with now - Harry, Frazer, Brodie and Gavin - will still be there for you in 20 years time. 

Playing pirates with them might not sound like much, but it was the start of a life spent on the water. Seeing life go by from a boat is such a special perspective. 

Your personality won't change much, either. Your obsession with perfection will take you to the top of your sport and that will help you learn quickly along the way. 

In the autumn of 2000, you'll sit down to watch the Olympics in Sydney and just seeing that from behind a screen will make you a dreamer. It's going to explode your imagination.

Up to now you've been living in the moment, but watching Sydney will turn your whole dial towards the future and everything you do will be a daydream of going to the Games. 

The Optimist is a bathtub with a sail but it's a beautiful thing. You won't want to leave the class when the time comes and you will totally resent going into a team environment. 

You'll be arrogant and naive, believing being on your own is better because there's no-one else to blame and no-one else to let you down. 

You're hot-heated and don't think before you talk, which is one of your flaws even now. 

But you'll learn that if you don't get used to working in a team, there are no medals coming. Two people is double the strength and double the satisfaction. 

Some folk will come along and try to change who you are. The right people don't do that. The right people recognise that everyone's different. 

Don't follow the crowd. Keep your individuality and learn to work your way. Believe in the way you do it. You'll lose your way trying to copy others and be someone you're not.

You won't learn that lesson until you're well into your 20s. 

In 2012, you'll represent Great Britain at a home Olympics in London. There will be thousands of people cheering you on at the biggest sporting event in the world. 

When you're racing there, be bold and brave. There's pressure and expectation but don't let that change a single decision you make out on the water. 

Whatever you do in the future, London 2012 will be the pinnacle of your career and it'll be the one you tell your grandkids about when they're your age. 

You'll get the chance to go again in Rio but that doesn't go to plan. Elliot is still here, he's still alive, and that's the biggest victory. 

You had such a good partnership with him and losing him from the boat gives you perspective on what matters and how privileged you are to chase shiny bits of metal. 

You choose a life of chasing a thing called perfection that you'll never reach. But keep striving, keep pushing and keep trying to be the best person you can be. 

Luke

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