Australian sailor Matt Wearn wins second Olympic gold after men’s dinghy final abandoned

Australian sailor Matt Wearn wins second Olympic gold after men’s dinghy final abandoned

Super sailor Matt Wearn has finally landed his second gold medal after the Australian was forced to race the men’s dinghy final twice after it was initially abandoned close to the finish.

Wearn has extended Australia’s golden run in the class, taking out the title for the fourth consecutive Olympics with his two medals following Tom Burton in Rio 2016 while Tom Slingsby triumphed at London 2012.

The 28-year-old West Australian became the first-ever back-to-back Olympic champion in the event.

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He had to work for it with the shifting winds in Marseille on Wednesday doing him no favours.

Already delayed by a day, Wearn was minutes from collecting gold when the race was called off due to failing wind with just one leg left to complete.

The race was re-run about 30 minutes later, with the podium positions confirmed.

Matt WearnMatt Wearn
Matt Wearn celebrates winning his second Olympic title after a drawn-out finals day in Marseille. (EPA PHOTO) Credit: AAP

Heading into the double-point medal decider, Wearn’s 14-point lead meant he had already locked up a silver medal and could only be overtaken by Pavlos Kontides, of Cyprus.

Wearn made no mistake, crossing the finish line in first place.

Kontides was second in the ILCA 7 medal race to take silver while Peruvian Stefano Peschiera was in third overall.

In their first outing on Wednesday, Kontides’ ambitions of challenging Wearn were all but ruined at the start.

Wearn at the end of the ILCA 7 men's dinghy class final race.Wearn at the end of the ILCA 7 men's dinghy class final race.
Wearn at the end of the ILCA 7 men’s dinghy class final race. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

In the restart following a general recall, Kontides picked up a penalty and had to carry out a 360-degree turn, which left him at the back of the fleet.

Wearn started well but decided to play it safe in the congested water and not challenge for the lead but just keep ahead of Kontides.

In the scramble in the light winds it paid off with race leader Hungarian Jonatan Vadnai capsizing.

With Wearn sitting comfortably and gold in sight, the flag came out to signal the race had been abandoned and would need to be re-run.

In the women’s dinghy which was successfully completed, Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands won gold, marking the fourth straight Games in which she has reached the podium.

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