In the bag bar the shouting

Spanish duo look certain to take Gold in the 49er reports Andy Rice

The Spanish World Champions have all but wrapped up the Gold medal after three spectacular races at the Olympic Games today. Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez notched up steady scores of 8,2,4 in the strongest breeze of the regatta, and now hold a very comfortable 9-point lead on Rodion Luka and George Leonchuk of the Ukraine.

The Ukraine are the only team that can challenge Spain for Gold in the 16th and final heat this Thursday, but they are more likely to be concerned with the British team breathing down their necks, just two points adrift.

Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks started the day very strongly, and while they briefly lost the lead to the Ukrainians, finished first around the three-lap course. It was the windiest heat of the day, which should have suited the other front-runners, but the Ukraine and Spain who had been lying second and third earlier in the race, faded badly to finish 6th and 8th respectively. Things seemed to be going the way of the Brits, and at this stage they lay just two points behind Spain in the overall standings.

But Team GBR gave themselves an uphill task in the next two heats, on both occasions starting very conservatively and being forced to tack away early towards the shore while the bulk of the fleet headed left into more favourable breeze. They rounded the windward mark of the second heat in 14th place, and recovered to 9th in a slightly lighter breeze. But the points gap was stretching away from them again, as Spain notched up a 2nd while the Ukraine climbed from 10th to 5th by the finish. Meanwhile, Australia was on a charge, having finished 2nd in the first heat and winning the next.

Chris Nicholson and Gary Boyd were making the pin end their own and winning the race out to the left hand side. Perhaps they could even haul themselves back into medal contention at this rate. Going into the day’s final race they were in 4th overall. They launched off the pin end once again, and by the windward mark were locked in a duel with USA to be first round. But then the dreaded message from the race committee that Australia had been over at the start. The winners of last year’s Pre-Olympic Regatta were headed home for an early bath, their 1st and 2nd places in the earlier heats no consolation for having blown their medal chances.

The USA team of Tim Wadlow and Pete Spaulding charged on to an unchallenged victory in the final heat, moving them to 4th overall but with no chance of fighting for a medal. Britain were busy playing catch-up again, this time rising from 10th to 6th by the finish, but still behind Ukraine and Spain in 3rd and 4th respectively.

It was a vintage day for 49er racing. With the TV cameras focused on the action, the sailors finally got a chance to demonstrate why they love racing a boat that frequently sails faster than the wind. The golden booted athletes from Spain have been the steadiest act in a brain-frazzling regatta, and only disaster stands between them and the top of the podium. The real action in Thursday’s concluding race is likely to come from the tussle for Silver between the Ukraine and Great Britain.