Thompson secures gold with a day to spare in Miami

GREAT Britain's Nick Thompson wrapped up Laser class gold at the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes regatta with one day to spare in Biscayne Bay.

DOMINANT START: Nick Thompson admits he was eager to lay down a marker for the season with an emphatic win in Miami (OnEdition)

The 23-year old, who won in Miami 12 months ago on the way to overall World Cup series victory, was lying 26 points ahead of nearest rival, Brazil's Bruno Fontes, going into Friday's races.

But a first and third place finish in Friday's races ensured the world bronze medallist established an unassailable 44 point lead ahead of Saturday's final double-points medal race.

And Thompson insisted he had been eager to assert his dominance in the first competition of the year.

"It's the first regatta of the year, and a chance to show what you're planning for the future," said Thompson, who won six of the ten races in Biscayne Bay.

"Coming into this regatta it was more of a process and just trying to polish up a few things I've been working on over the winter.

"But then day one came and race one started and my emphasis changed to ‘I'd like to win this and bring home the gold', so to do that is really pleasing.

"I'd actually quite like to win the medal race now.  I've done quite a few of them but never actually quite managed to win one so that's my goal!" 

The three Paralympic classes finished on Friday with John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas the sole British medallists, finishing second in the Sonar competition.

SKUD world champions Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell finished an agonising fourth while Megan Pascoe and Helena Lucas ended up sixth and 13th in the 2.4mR.

Meanwhile, a number of British sailors are in medal positions going into the final day of the Olympic classes in Miami.

Match racers Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Ally Martin maintained the 100 per cent record with a 3-0 semi-final defeat of France's world number one Claire Leroy and will face USA's Olympic Laser Radial champion Anna Tunniclffe in the final.

Ed Wright is still sitting pretty at the top of the Finn standings with a 14 point lead over fellow Brit Giles Scott in second while Alison Young is 13 points clear in third in the Laser Radial.

Two-time world champions Nic Asher and Elliot Willis will also be in action in the 470 class, lying just two points behind Israel's leaders, Gideon Kliger and Eran Sela in fourth, while Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw have both reached the medal races in the RS:X windsurfing classes.

Finally, Dave Evans and Ed Powys missed out on the medal race in the 49er after slumping to 13th with a black flag disqualification in their final race while Sarah Ayton and Saskia Clark also finished 13th in the 470 women's competition.