After a nine-month break, Olympic gold medallists Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson are ready to hit the water again knowing they will have a target on their back after stunning the sailing world last year.

The Perth-based pair admit they were the underdogs when they claimed gold in the 470 class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

For Rechichi in particular it was a triumph against the odds, with the 23-year-old forced to overcome a debilitating bug which saw her lose 10kg off her light frame in 2006 to even make it to the Games.

But the pair can forget about donning the underdog tag at the 2012 London Games, where they will receive plenty of attention following their Beijing success.

"The pressure has definitely shifted," Parkinson said on Wednesday. "Now having had the gold medal you are competing from a different perspective.

"I guess the next Olympics is going to be a new challenge for us.

"We are going to have to step up our level, the conditions are very different to what we had in Beijing."

Belinda Stowell, who has taken over as coach of the pair, knows all too well the pressure associated with being the defending champion.

Stowell claimed gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games but was unable to back up that success in Athens four years later.

"They go in as the hunted not the hunter, which is a completely different scenario to what they are used to," Stowell said.

"The conditions in Weymouth Bay (which will host the sailing events at the London Games) is really tough compared to Beijing.

"Their fitness wasn't tested in Beijing because they were light winds ... whereas Weymouth is windy and has really big waves.

"They're going to have to really develop their power and fitness."

Rechichi and Parkinson haven't competed since their Beijing triumph but with the 2011 World Championships in Perth looming large - an event that will also double for Olympic qualification - the pair are eager to get back into the swing of things.

"It's a huge advantage (that it's in Fremantle, Perth), we've grown up sailing here," Rechichi said.

"The wind will be a bit of a challenge for a few countries ... so that will be a bit of an advantage for us having that experience."

Around 1,500 sailors from 80 nations are expected to converge in Perth for the 2011 World Championships, which will be held from December 3-18.

Justin Chadwick
AAP