Martinez and Fernandez maintain lead in the Bahamas

OLYMPIC silver medallists Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez have one hand on the World Championship trophy after maintaining a 22 point lead ahead of the final day's racing in the Bahamas.

WORLD LEADERS: Olympic silver medallists Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez look poised for gold at the 49er World Championships (Getty Images)

The Spanish pair have led since day three of the competition and were 33 points ahead of Friday's racing.

And although their grip on the lead loosened slightly after only registering one top-ten finish on Friday - a third place in the second race - the Spaniards are still favourites to lift their first world crown.

The British pairs of John Pink and Rick Peacock and Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes had a day to forget as they slipped from second and third to sixth and seventh respectively.

But fellow Brits Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign jumped up to third from eighth after a win and a fourth place on the penultimate day.

France's Dyen Emmanuel and Stephane Christidis lie second on 69 points while the Brits are poised on 73 and Italy's European champions Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello are one point back in fourth.

Of the other British crews in the gold fleet, Paul Brotherton and Mark Asquith are still in the medal hunt in eighth, Chris Draper and Peter Greenhalgh lie tenth while Dave Evans and Ed Powys are in 17th.