Golden moments are far from plain sailing
A GOLDEN day for Great Britain’s sailors saw Giles Scott recover from a nightmare start to defend his Finn title while Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell claimed a narrow triumph in the 49er.
John Gimson and Anna Burnet took silver in the mixed Nacra class, while Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre are poised for gold in today’s women’s 470.
Scott’s nine-point lead going into the medal race meant the 34-year-old only had to finish fifth to take gold but he was left playing catch-up having circled back across the line, fearing he had started too early.
As main rival Zsombor Berecz, of Hungary, won the race, Scott seemed to have left himself too much to do on the Enoshima waters, but a lunge for the line saw him cross in fourth.
It means Britain have claimed six successive titles in the Finn since Ian
Percy won 21 years ago, Ben Ainslie winning three consecutive golds before Scott won in Rio. The event will not be included in the 2024 regatta.
‘I don’t think I was over at the start but I played it super safe because that was the only way I could mess things up,’ said Scott. ‘That’s the greatest pressure of my career and continues our domination. We’ve won every gold since 2000. We own it.’
Fletcher and Bithell were outsiders for gold, needing to make up four points on New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. They managed it by dramatically pipping Germany on the line, with Burling and Tuke in third.
Fletcher said: ‘I knew it was super touch and go. It was an intense race but it’s mind-blowing to be sat here now being Olympic champions.’