MARSEILLE, France, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands finally got her hands on gold following the completion of the women's dinghy Medal Race on Wednesday, while Matt Wearn of Australia retained his Olympic title with a well-executed sail in the men's dinghy Medal Race.
Bouwmeester had already wrapped up the gold medal after finishing in the top five on seven occasions during the Opening Series, but persistent light wind meant she had to wait an extra day before receiving her long-awaited prize.
Bouwmeester crossed the line in fourth in the Medal Race after wrapping up the top spot in quick time, meaning she has now won Olympic golds at Paris 2024 and Rio 2016, a silver at London 2012 and a bronze at Tokyo 2020.
Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark settled for a silver which she also had wrapped up prior to the Medal Race, in which she finished fifth.
The only medal up for grabs heading into the Medal Race was the bronze. Line Hoest from Norway went into the finale sitting in third and held on to that spot, crossing the finish line in second to take home the bronze.
"I have so much respect for Line and Anne-Marie, we push each other all the way. There's a mutual respect between us," Bouwmeester said.
In the men's competition, reigning champion Wearn went into the race carrying a 14-point advantage, knowing Cyprus' Pavlos Kontides was the only one who could overtake him. The Australian went all out and stormed to victory in the crucial race to clinch gold in Marseille.
Kontides recreated the magic of London 2012, where he picked up a silver medal, crossing the finish line right behind Wearn to confirm his second place finish. Completing the top three was Stefano Peschiera of Peru, who was part of World Sailing's Emerging Nations Program.
"The expectation has been tougher this time, being the reigning champion and winning the last two World Championships. I had that target on my back and that was new and different," Wearn said. ■
