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SAILING: Britain and US take golds in Laser and Laser Radial races

Paul Goodison claimed Great Britain’s third sailing gold of the Beijing Games with victory in the men’s Laser category yesterday while American Anna Tunnicliffe won the women’s Laser Radial.

Goodison had considered quitting the sport after the frustration of coming fourth four years ago.

Slovenia’s Vasilij Zbogar, the Athens bronze medalist, went one better this time and Italian Diego Romero secured bronze.

Goodison and Zbogar leapt out of their boats and embraced each other in the water after the finish. They then posed for photographers in Zbogar’s boat before heading back to the marina.

Goodison held a commanding advantage over nearest pursuer Rasmus Myrgren after nine races in the opening series.

The Swede needed to win the medal race and see his rival come 10th and last to deny the Briton gold. Goodison’s blocking tactics relegated Myrgren to the back of the fleet and kept him out of the medal positions.

“It might not have been the best way to do it but with the conditions being so tricky, it was the best way of making sure of gold,” Goodison said. “It’s been a testing week but I hung in there and delivered yesterday, which made it a bit easier today.”

Goodison began the regatta in slow fashion, finishing 15th in the first and third races before hitting form, as he had done when winning the Games test event in Qingdao last year.

While Goodison shone, double world champion and world No. 1 Tom Slingsby failed to get into contention. The Australian was eliminated before the medal race, in which the top 10 from the opening series compete, and finished 22nd overall.

Tunnicliffe confirmed her status as world No. 1 in the Laser Radial.

Gintare Volungeviciute of Lithuania secured silver and China’s Xu Lijia grabbed bronze, the host nation’s first medal of the regatta.

The British-born Tunnicliffe, 25, was struggling in the medal race until benefiting from a large windshift that propelled her from ninth to third by the third mark.

With Volungeviciute back in sight, Tunnicliffe could relax and follow the race-winning Lithuanian over the line in second to win gold by five points.

Xu, who along with windsurfer Yin Jian was one of two strong Chinese sailing medal hopes going into the Games, was cheered on loudly by home fans on the main breakwater at the Olympic Sailing Center.
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