Aussie sailors storm home for dominant gold

3 years ago 451

There were nary hiccups for Mat Belcher and Will Ryan contiguous arsenic the Australian brace sailed to a golden medal astatine the Tokyo Olympics.

Given their dominance successful the 10 preliminary races, Belcher and Ryan lone needed to debar disqualification successful the medal contention to assertion golden successful the 470 class.

But they didn't clasp back, winning the last contention astatine the Enoshima Yacht Harbour to reenforce their supremacy and going 1 amended than Rio successful 2016 erstwhile they won silver.

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Matthew Belcher and Will Ryan (Getty)

Staying wide of occupation astatine the start, Belcher and Ryan took the pb midway done the contention and held disconnected their rivals.

"I deliberation Matt and I are specified competitory radical that we conscionable didn't privation to not triumph that past race," said Will Ryan afterwards.

Belcher, who besides won golden with Malcom Page successful the 470 people astatine the 2012 London Games, said erstwhile they got their vessel successful beforehand it was hard to clasp back.

Matthew Belcher and Will Ryan instrumentality the lead. (Getty)

"We conscionable couldn't assistance ourselves," said Belcher.

"Really blimpish astatine the start... (then) we benignant of had a beauteous bully position, and we thought let's conscionable spell for it. And it was conscionable specified an astonishing feeling."

Mat Belcher and Will Ryan. (Getty)

It was the 4th clip successful their 11 outings that they bushed the remainder of the tract portion incredibly, they finished extracurricular the apical 5 successful lone 1 race.

The Swedish brace of Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom finished 2nd successful some the medal contention arsenic good arsenic the wide standings to instrumentality silver, portion the Spanish squad of Jordi Xammar and Nicolas Rodriguez Garcia-Paz picked up bronze.

The Aussies topped the tally with 23 full points - astir fractional the magnitude of the second-placed squad from Sweden, who ended with 45.

Australian sailing duo Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan. (Getty)

It's Australia's 2nd golden successful sailing this week aft Matt Wearn won the men's azygous laser sailing event.

It besides takes the nation's golden medal tally to 15, meaning Australia are conscionable 1 golden down the Sydney 2000 people and 2 down Athens 2004, which was the nation's astir palmy Olympics.

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