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03rd Aug 2021

Tokyo Olympics: Team GB smash the sailing – Giles Scott retains his title and another silver in the Mixed Nacra

Danny Jones

Team GB are on fire in the sailing, as always

Team GB is having yet another fine day in Tokyo 2020 as they notch the third medal in just a couple of hours. That’s right, after former rivals Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell teamed up to take gold in the 49er class, Giles Scott has successfully retained his Olympic title, while Anna Burnet and John Gimson went on to take the silver in the Mixed Nacra.

Scott’s title-defence finished in an equally tense fashion to Fletcher and Bithell before him. The 34-year-old was guaranteed a medal going into the double points finale but fell back into sixth place during the course of the race. He only clinched gold in the final 20 metres, pushing through to finish in fourth place.

This was Scott’s second consecutive Olympic gold medal and Team GB’s sixth successive gold in the event. Incredible stuff.

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1422439640536076295?s=20

As for Burnet and Gimson, they also crossed the line in fifth in the final race to see a consistent and professional performance all week rewarded with the silver medal.

That’s three medals not just in the space of a day but a matter of just a couple of hours! Sailing really is Team GB’s sport, isn’t it?

No nation has won more in Olympic sailing events than Great Britain and, better still, we are expected to bring home a fourth sailing gold on Wednesday, with Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre holding a lead still favourites to win the women’s 470.

These wins take Team GB’s gold medal tally to 13, moving us up to fifth in the overall medals table above ROC (Russia).

Read more Olympics coverage:

9 amazing moments from the Tokyo games that make the wait worthwhile

This is how Team GB is doing at Tokyo compared to Rio and London

Belarus Olympian given Polish asylum after refusing ‘forced’ flight home