Scott ends Ainslie's six-year unbeaten run in Weymouth

By Rhys Hayward, Sportsbeat, in Weymouth

GILES Scott laid down an impressive Olympics selection marker by seeing off of rival Ben Ainslie and cruising to Finn gold on the final day of the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta.

RISING STAR: Giles Scott beat Ben Ainslie at the ISAF World Cup regatta in Weymouth - the first time the Olympic champion has lost a Finn class regatta in six years (onEdition)

The young pretender led his illustrious team mate by 16.4 points going ahead of Saturday's double points medal race and sealed Britain's only gold medal of the event with an eighth place finish.

Ainslie meanwhile cruelly missed out on a bronze medal, despite finishing third, slipping to fourth behind Croatian Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic.

The 33-year-old Olympic champion has been the centre of attention at Weymouth all week as he sailed in the Finn class for the first time since Beijing 2008.

But despite the return of the biggest name in the sport, Scott underlined his 2012 potential with a commanding performance.

He said: "I think this week has been the first correct signal for me to send out to the selectors.

"However, there is a lot more that you have to send out to prove that you're the correct person to send to the Olympics especially when you're trying to take someone like Ben's spot.

"I suppose it is a big deal, beating Ben and being the first person to do it in the last six years, but I've been trying to ignore that fact all week.

"I've got to keep doing it though and be consistent over the next couple of years, that's the most important thing.

"I need to make it hard for them to ignore me."

Despite failing to win a Finn class regatta for the first time since May 2004, Ainslie was pleased with his return to the class.

And he admitted he had work to do to restore his former dominance - particularly with Scott and fellow rising star Ed Wright, who finished fifth, impressing in Weymouth.

"Today's race was a bit frustrating because I had a good race and still dropped down the standings but overall I'm really pleased with the way the week has gone," said the three-time Olympic gold medallist.

"Getting back into the fleet has been really good fun and Giles Scott and Ed Wright have impressed me - it looks like we have got a really strong squad in this country.

"It's going to be very hard to secure that one spot for the Olympic Games so I'm going to have to go away, get my head down and do some hard work this winter.

"I'm clearly not where I used to be but this week has shown me that I'm not very far off it."