OLYMPICS SAILING LASER.  Matt Wearn (AUS) has won gold in the Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser with Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) taking silver and Hermann Tomasgaard (NOR) bronze.

Australia's Matt Wearn wins Men's Laser gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition © Sailing Energy / World Sailing

Wearn had already wrapped up the gold medal before the Medal Race but took to the startline for a victory lap.

It was a clean start off the line, and quite even too. Jean-Baptise Bernaz (FRA) took up the lead, making the most of a mathematical but unlikely chance of a medal.

Tomasgaard rounded the first mark in eighth, not far back from the 10-boat fleet, but over the next lap the Norwegian sailed through to fifth on the next lap, making his intentions clear for the silver medal.

However, Stipanovic fought back hard on the final lap, overtaking Tomasgaard and moving into silver medal position.

At the finish Bernaz won the race, Wearn was second, but more importantly Stipanovic's fourth place got him the silver medal to go with the one he won at Rio 2016. Tomasgaard was still happy to get the bronze.

Wearn's gold medal makes it three golds in a row for Australia in the Laser, following on from Tom Slingsby at London 2012 and Tom Burton at Rio 2016.

Following a glittering Olympic career that spans quarter of a century, today's Medal Race was the last time we'll see Robert Scheidt competing in the Olympics. His story began at Atlanta 1996 when the Brazilian won gold in the Laser. Now aged 48, with five Olympic medals from seven Games, Scheidt bows out as one of the greatest of all time.

Denmark wins gold in Women's Laser Radial at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition

Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) has won gold in the Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial with Josefin Olsson (SWE) taking silver and Marit Bouwmeester (NED) bronze.

Women's Laser Radial Medal Race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition - photo © Sailing Energy / World Sailing

At the start the individual recall flag went up. Two boats were over and Marit Bouwmeester (NED) was one of them. The Dutch sailor returned to start correctly, immediately putting her to the back of the 10-boat fleet and playing catch-up for the medals.

However, Silvia Zennaro (ITA) was also over at start time and didn't return. She was later pulled out of the race further up the first leg.

 At the top of the first upwind leg, Tuula Tenkanen (FIN) briefly moved into a podium position but on the first downwind leg, Emma Plasschaert (BEL) surfed from fourth into the lead, moving her into silver position.

However, Bouwmeester's recovery was even more impressive, moving in on the pack on the downwind and opting for the right-hand gate when most of the fleet had gone left. From being left for dead at the start, the comeback queen was back into silver medal position.

 Next it was the turn of Josefin Olsson (SWE) to have her say, having climbed from seventh in the early stages to third at the end of the first lap and up to the lead by the final windward mark. Now the Swede was in medal contention, threatening the Netherlands for silver.

Olsson crossed the finish line a fraction in front of Plasschaert. Behind her Bouwmeester had dropped a critical place and slipped back to bronze, leaving Sweden to take silver by the slimmest of margins, just three points behind Rindom who somehow clung on to gold.

Rindom and Bouwmeester are now multiple medallists. Rindom adds gold to bronze she won at Rio 2016. Today's bronze is Bouwmeester's third Olympic medal, having won silver at London 2012 and gold at Rio 2016.

by Andy Rice
World Sailing / www.sail-world.com
1 Aug 2021