London 2012 day seven: Laser and Radial medal prospects firm up

Slingsby and Kontides to battle it out for Laser gold and silver as one points separates the top four Radials

RS:X Women

The Women's RS:Xs were competing races 7 and 8 of their series on the Nothe course today.

In the first race the majority headdc to the left with Germany's Moana Delle just rounding ahead of the Ukraine's Olga Maslivets and Israeli Lee-El Korzits.

On the next run it was the Ukrainian who powered into first with Spanish overall leader Marina Alabau fighting with Korzits for third. The second beat saw Alabau and Korzits overhaul the German and at the finish it was the Ukrainian who took the bullet ahead of Korzits and Alabau. Britain's Bryony Shaw came home seventh.

In the second race the Israeli Lee-El Korzits led around the top mark ahead of her training partner Marina Alabau with Canada's towering Nikola Girke in third. Korzits extended away her lead uninterrupted for the rest of the race leaving Girke, Olha Maslivets and Finland's Tuuli Petaja to scrap for the places, the Finn eventually finishing second more than a minute behind the speedy skateboarding Israeli. Bryony Shaw arrived fifth ahead of Italian Olympic legend Alessandra Sensini.

Lee Kortizs came shore pleased but with a slight injury to her foot sustained during racing. "Today was really good, but we have three more really important days and I look forward to the finish of the competiton because I am nervous."

The arrangement between Kortizs and overall leader Marina Alabau is similar to that of the top Aussies and Kiwis 49er teams in that they are training partners who between them have got to the top of the pile. However others come to join them. "It is really nice because we can see the results of our good training here. We have still three more intensive and stressful days, so I hope it will be okay."

Of today's racing Kortizs said that the Nothe course was behaving itself because the wind was slightly strong (high teens) and was more left and so less interupted by Portland.

Bryony Shaw was okay with her 7-5 today. "It was gusty and shifty out there and I think I played the shifts really well. I guess this is my best overall day, so I am pretty happy with that and I'll just keep chipping away. I am slightly lacking in speed and it is supplied equipment. I am giving it my best shot and trying to keep a smile on my face."

Problems with the supplied equipment? "There are a couple of girls going really really quick. They are good sailors and they are obviously making the kit go really well, but there are a lot of girls who are struggling who don’t normally struggle so much. I feel I have got decent kit but maybe not the best kit."

Shaw is aware that the prospects of her successfully defending her bronze medal are slipping away. "I am just going to keep sailing as I am. I think I am sailing smart and giving it 100%. The beginning of the week I made a few mistakes and that dropped me out of the top three. I just keep chipping away and see how I can get. It would be great to finish in the top five and just keep enjoying myself and just accept that that is the best I can get."

Of today's racing she said: "The Nothe was great. I really enjoyed it. We had four laps for each race. I was losing count throughout the day – I was geting dizzy almost! I think a few of the other girls were confused as well. It was tactical and that kind of helped me out a bit in terms that it wasn’t a pure speed race but here and there girls would make some gains through having some more pace.

"Quite often it is a left hand track in there, but today it wasn't and I was gybing in towards the spectators on nice bits of pressure and making gains."

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