Sailor Peter Bromby wants to try again in four years' time to win the Olympic medal on which he so narrowly missed out in Sydney.

Bromby yesterday confirmed his wish to compete in Athens 2004 following the announcement that the Star class will, after all, be included in the Games.

But whether or not Lee White, who teamed up with Bromby to earn a fourth place finish in Australia, will also sail again in Greece remains to be seen.

Skipper Bromby wants to keep the partnership together, but has not yet had chance to discuss it in detail with White.

Some expected the Star class to be dropped from the Athens regatta, but a meeting of the International Sailing Federation Council in Edinburgh last week decided it should stay.

The news was a major boost to Bermuda's hopes of a medal in Greece. Bromby and White took their medal bid to the wire in Sydney Harbour where they won one of the 11 races to prove beyond doubt their ability to beat the world's best on the biggest stage of all.

Speaking from the US yesterday, Bromby said Sydney had inspired him to mount another Olympic campaign.

"We went so close in Sydney and for me personally, it was an energising experience,'' said the 36-year-old.

"In the three years before Sydney we flattered to deceive. But in the last two months before the Games we discovered things about what we were doing and we made giant strides.

"I thought it was the first time in three years we had made real progress and I believe we can now move onto the next stage.

"I haven't had a chance to discuss it with Lee at any great length yet, but of course I would be delighted if he said `yes'.'' Bromby realised that it would be a tough decision for White.

"Lee has got some situations at home he needs to deal with,'' said Bromby.

"He has three young kids and an Olympic campaign is a huge commitment.'' And Bromby added that he would not give up on chasing the one major honour to elude him in a glittering sailing career -- an Olympic medal -- even if White was to turn him down.

"To be quite honest, I would probably have a shop around in terms of finding other people and see if they could put in the time and commitment necessary.'' Many had expected the Star class to be dropped from the Athens regatta, as the ISF looked to include another dinghy at the expense of a keelboat to reflect current participation in sailing.

It came down to a vote between the Star and the Soling to choose the class to go. The Star survived by a three-vote margin.

Bromby said he was not surprised by the decision, despite widespread speculation that Sydney would be the farewell Games for the Star.

"In Sydney, the inside track was that we would be safe,'' said Bromby. "From the outside, they were saying it was shaky. Nobody really knew what to believe.'' Bromby will be 40 when Athens comes around and he believed that he would be approaching his peak. "The current Olympic gold medallist is 44 and if history has anything to do with it, 40 is about the right age to be winning,'' he said.

"One of the things I feel we would need to do is put some more time in going in to Greece. We would have to move it up a notch. We have to be prepared a little more.

"But from a financial point of view we are in better shape now than we were last time. We were carrying over a debt from Savannah (where Bromby and White put in weeks of intensive training before the 1996 Atlanta Olympics) at the start of the campaign.

"I would not say we are laughing now, but we certainly would not be starting from in the red.'' Peter Bromby: looking ahead to Athens in 2004.