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Olympic champ quits America's Cup

Ainslie said small boat sailing suited him

LONDON, England (CNN) - British Olympic champion sailor Ben Ainslie has quit his America's Cup team to return to Olympic racing.

Ainslie, who won the Olympic Gold medal in the Laser Class in the 2000 Sydney games, had joined the OneWorld America's Cup challenge 18 months ago.

However, he announced that he would leave the team despite learning a lot during his time with it and enjoying the "remarkable" experience.

"I realise that the world of small boat sailing, where I have spent my sailing career, is where I want to put my efforts at this point in my life," he said on the OneWorld website.

The chief executive office of the OneWorld syndicate, Gary Wright, said the team wished Ainslie well.

"Ours is a team of diverse age, nationality and sailing background. When we built this team we knew we were asking certain individuals to take roles they were unaccustomed to and there would be people who would realise it wasn't quite the right fit for them," he said.

The America's Cup will be held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2003.