The first day of Medal Races at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series event in Enoshima, Japan, saw Britain take gold in the 49er and silver in the Nacra 17.
James Peters and Fynn Sterritt pulled off a stunning overall 49er win after they finished second behind the Spanish pair Federico and Arturo Tellehea, in a spectacular medal race.
Peters and Sterritt started in fifth and were always battling with the Spanish pair for the lead, while the German pair, Tim Fischer and Fabian Graf, struggled to stay in contention, a capsize on the final leg finally finishing their chances of holding onto the gold.
So Peters and Sterritt claimed 49er gold, Ben Bildstein and David Hussl of Austria the silver, Fischer and Graf ending with bronze.
In the Nacra 17 Ben Saxton and Nicola Boniface took silver behind Quentin Delapierre and Manon Audinet of France, who won the medal race to snatch gold after starting in fifth place. Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti of Italy took the Bronze.
The second British pair, John Gimson and Anna Burnet, finished fifth overall.
In the women’s RSX gold went to Yunxiu Lu of China, silver to Katy Spchakov ISR and the bronze to Zofia Noceti-Klepacka of Poland.
Britain’s Emma Wilson was third in the medal race and finished fifth overall.
In the men’s RS:X, Louis Giard of France won the medal race to take gold, with Kun Bi of China taking silver and Pierre le Coq, who started as overall leader, finishing fifth in the medal race to take bronze.
Tom Squires of Britain was seventh in the medal race, placing fifth overall.
The other classes – the 470, Finn, Laser and Radial raced their final series races and will sail their Medal Races on Sunday.
Alison Young (4,12,1), who will start third in the Radial medal race, will be the only British medal contender.
Hannah Snellgrove also qualified for the Radial medal race after a tremendous 3, 1, 8, scoreline put her in seventh place.
In the men’s Laser event, Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus already has the gold, leaving Matt Wearn AUS and Jean Bernaz FRA to scrap for the silver and bronze. Nick Thompson starts in ninth place.
Star of the final series Laser racing was Britain’s Mike Beckett who won the final two races, but just failed to make the top ten. He finishes 11th and Elliot Hanson is 13th.
In the Finn event, Nicholas Heiner of Holland has claimed an early gold, with Josip Olujic CRO and Ioannis Mitakes GRE battling for the podium places.
Leading the men’s 470 are Mathew Belcher and William Ryan AUS. Leading the women are Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries AUS.
