Tom Burton of Australia has won the gold medal in the men’s Laser class at the Rio Olympics sailing regatta.
It’s the first sailing gold in the Rio Games for the Australians, who won three classes in the London Games in 2012. Burton finished third in Tuesday’s medal race to finish two points ahead of Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia, who came in already having been assured of at least the silver. He finished ninth in the medal race. His silver is the first Olympic sailing medal for Croatia.
Sam Meech of New Zealand won the bronze.
Robert Scheidt fell just short in his attempt to become the first sailor and first Brazilian to win six Olympic medals. Although he won the medal race, he finished fourth overall, four points behind Meech.
Netherlands’ Bouwmeester wins Laser Radial gold
Netherlands’ Marit Bouwmeester won sailing gold in the women’s Laser Radial single-person dinghy competition on Tuesday after a closely-fought medal race that saw Ireland’s Annalise Murphy slip past Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom to take silver.
Rindom, second overall after 10 preliminary tests going into the medal race, won bronze.
Britain’s Scott wins men’s finn sailing gold
Britain’s Giles Scott, who has carried the bulk of his country’s medal hopes since the legendary Ben Ainslie retired from Olympic sailing, secured the Finn gold in the medal race on Tuesday that he was already assured on points.
In a tough battle for the other podium spots in near-perfect wind conditions, Slovenia’s Vasilij Zbogar was able to use a medal-race eighth to ensure silver.
Caleb Paine of the United States pulled off one of his best races of this Olympic regatta to come in second, allowing him to jump from fourth overall and onto the podium with bronze.
Paine’s medal is the first for a U.S. team that has so far had a weak showing at the Rio Olympics. Several of its top hopes have put in less than consistent performances in the difficult and tricky winds and currents of Guanabara Bay, and the high waves and heavy blows of Rio’s open-ocean courses.
Argentina’s Lange and Saroli win Nacra catamaran gold
Argentine helmsman Santiago Lange and crew Cecilia Carranza Saroli won gold in the Nacra 17 mixed-sex catamaran class at the Rio Games on Tuesday after a fast medal race that saw wind pick up smartly on Guanabara Bay’s Pao de Acucar course.
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin of Australia, came within a single point of gold but their second-place finish was not enough to close the overall point gap built up with Lange and Carranza Saroli in the 12 preliminary races before the medal round.
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