Victor Kovalenko has never been comfortable with his nickname, Medal Maker.
Despite his impressive track record, the 66-year-old says he would prefer not to have the pressure of winning medals at every major championship.
"I was working very, very hard to confirm this one. Every Olympic Games, every World Championships, every big regatta, I have to confirm this is true. And this makes my life a little bit tough."
But despite that pressure, he has delivered.
Out of more than 40 international medals, six have been gold.
But it has not all been easy - or plain sailing, as the saying goes.
His wife and son also had to relocate from their native Ukraine, and, although he describes his time in Australia as a love affair, he says his wife Tatiana deserves the credit.
"Yes, it was difficult at times, in terms of language, in terms of culture, in terms of medicines. It was big changes, for me and, especially, for my wife and for my son, because I was living in my sailing environment, I was busy, I was fighting, I was training. And my wife was waiting for me."
But almost 20 years after relocating, Kovalenko now definitely calls his corner of Sydney home.
"Whenever I crossed the Spit Bridge after my trips, I'd say, 'Thanks to God, I came back to paradise, I came back home.'"
Kovalenko says the credit for the incredible medal haul he has overseen in Australian sailing goes beyond him, too.
And he is happy to share the success around.
"I'm working with extremely talented athletes, and I'm working with good managers, with good directors, with good physiotherapists, supporters, with administrators, and, all of them, they are fantastic. To be the best in the world, you need all of them to be the best."
As Kovalenko and his support staff look for more golds at the 2022 Tokyo Olympics, he says he is mystified why next year's Commonwealth Games do not include sailing.
"Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand were successful in sailing. Why we cannot do this one? Why we cannot show to the world and to our Commonwealth countries how good we are? It's strange for me."
Kovalenko says, if it were on the agenda, he would be giving every effort again in pursuit of gold.
He says his work ethic is underpinned by a belief that the taxpayers' dollars that pay his wages must be repaid - with success.
"We use Government money to get ready, and so we understand clearly, like, all of these farmers, all of these fishermen and workers, they give their dollars for us to convert their dollars (into) gold, Olympic Gold."
But life is still not easy for Kovalenko.
He says watching the ongoing war in his native Ukraine has been one of the saddest things he has had to endure in his life.
"Everything that's happened bad in Ukraine, it's very close to me, because I have part of my family over there, and, also, it's ... yeah ... it's not fair."
Kovalenko says Tokyo will be his last Olympics, with the lure of his beloved Spit Bridge proving too strong for anything further.
But he says Australia's sailors will not stop winning gold medals after he bids farewell, that the winning is too well entrenched now.
"The legacy is winning, a winning team, a winning spirit and winning technologies we are leaving. (The) Australian sailing team is now one of the best in the world."
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