Great Britain finished top nation today, in front of Australia and France, on the final day of the sailing world championships. Finishing with five medals, two gold, one silver and two bronze, British sailing has given itself the perfect launch pad for the Olympic year with this performance.

Today, Leigh McMillan and Mark Bulkeley, in the Tornado catamaran class, took the silver medal by finishing second in the final race. Needing to finish five places ahead of defending world champions, Bundock and Forbes from Australia, the British pair looked to have the job done after the first lap of racing today. The British pair led the Australians by three places and extended their lead at the start of the second round when their rivals fell into a hole in the wind, it looked like the dream might become reality, but then the wind switched itself off and the racing had to be abandoned.

A second race was finally started once the wind had kicked in and this time it was the Australians that took command, they rounded first with the British in third place and were unable to be caught from that point on. Bundock and Forbes had won the gold with McMillan and Bulkeley taking the silver medal.

A contented McMillan said: “I’m delighted, if someone had told me at the beginning of the week that we would finish second I would have probably told them that a top five would be okay.”

A good finish in the women’s 470 class saw British sailors Christina Bassadone and Katherine Hopson move up to fifth place on the final day which was enough to see them qualify the nation for the 2004 Games. Sofia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoulfa of Greece took the gold medal with a race to spare from Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux of France.

This final result in the Tornado class provided a fitting conclusion to a successful championships for Team GBR which saw its Sydney medallists Ben Ainslie in the Finn and Iain Percy, with team mate Steve Mitchell in the Star, take further podium positions in their respective classes. In addition to this a world championship gold medal in the 49er class for Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks proved that the team has strength and depth, which was confirmed with the bronze medal from Andrew Simpson in the Finn class and the Tornado silver as well as the fact that Great Britain finished with four teams in the top ten in the 49er class.

As well as world championship medals, places in Team GB for the Athens Olympics have also been at the forefront of the sailor’s minds. From the event Shirley Robertson, Sarah Webb and Sarah Ayton in the Yngling class, Ben Ainslie in the Finn, Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell in the Star class, Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks in the 49er class and Nick Dempsey in the men’s windsurfing class, have all met the selection criteria and been confirmed by the British Olympic Association for the Athens Olympic Games next year.

The RYA Olympic Selection Committee also announced today the next step in the selection process for many of the classes. Natasha Sturges and Laura Baldwin have been identified as potential nominations in the women’s Mistral and Europe classes respectively although they will have to meet the criteria set out by the committee in order to attend the Games. No selection was made in the Laser class and they will have to battle it out at a trial in Weymouth in April 2004 and tomorrow a decision will be made in the Tornado and the 470 men and women’s classes.

RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park said: “It has been another fantastic performance by GBR sailors which I hope will leave the country in no doubt that we will be doing our best for Britain at the Olympic Games. Team GBR has never been on better form and it makes me very proud to be the manager of such a talented team of athletes.”

Results

Laser, final results – Gold fleet

1, Gustavo Lima, POR (1,1,3,2,1,1,8,1,6,(9),3) 27 pts

2, Robert Scheidt, BRA (4,1,4,1,1,2,6,3,3,3,(17)) 28 pts

3, Michael Blackburn, AUS (5,1,5,1,1,11,2,10,13,(27),13) 62 pts

GBR

15, Ed Wright (1,7,5,7,11,7,5,8,29,(32),19) 99 pts

19, Mark James Howard (11,6,7,12,10,8,3,23,14,(25),20) 114 pts

31, Paul Goodison (15,11,5,3,2,21,32,13,(DNC),17,35) 154 pts

40, Jim Taylor (2,20,14,14,5,20,42,41,26,(31),28) 201 pts

43, Andrew Commander (17,6,24,4,18,7,40,(43),36,36,31) 219 pts

Tornado, final results

1, Darren Bundock/John Forbes, AUS (2,1,2,14,(15),1,1,11,1,1) 34 pts

2, Leigh McMillan/Mark Bulkeley, GBR (1,7,1,(12),2,3,2,10,11,2) 39 pts

3, Santiago Lange/Carlos Espinola, ARG (11,15,9,1,8,6,6,2,8,(DNC)) 66 pts

other GBR

15, Hugh Styles/Adam May (9,5,12,11,6,32,(OCS),6,12,41) 134 pts

18, Rob Wilson/Martin Sellars (29,36,15,29,28,14,22,(RDG 24,7),4,13) 178.7 pts

41, Ian Barker/Dan Newman (43,29,5,27,35,30,26,(DNC),DNC,DNC) 341 pts

55, Andrew Walsh/Edward Barney (59,64,45,52,27,(67),55,49,47,37) 435 pts

470 Women, final results

1, Sofia Bekatorou/Emilia Tsoulfa, GRE (1,1,2,1,1,2,1,4,(OCS),8,DNC) 47 pts

2, Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux, FRA (3,2,2,(14),10,8,5,14,2,4,11) 61 pts

3, Vlada Ilienko/Natalia Gaponovich, RUS (2,4,6,3,3,6,10,(DNC),16,10,2) 62 pts

GBR

5, Christina Bassadone/Katherine Hopson (4,4,3,(OCS),2,4,21,5,18,5,6) 72 pts

10, Josie Gibson/Sue Parkin (5,8,12,2,9,13,17,3,20,(21),4) 93 pts

16, Helena Lucas/Jenny Heeley (7,9,17,5,8,15,(20),16,4,16,8) 105 pts

470 Men, Final day – Gold fleet

1, Gabrio Zandona/Andrea Trani, ITA (1,1,2,2,1,(20),8,7,5,15,9) 51 pts

2, Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page, AUS (2,12,1,7,12,5,6,1,(12),1,27) 59 pts

3, Gustavo Doreste/Dimas Wood, ESP (6,2,4,5,1,2,19,11,1,10,(32)) 61 pts

GBR

11, Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (10,10,9,7,1,3,(34),16,2,12,23) 93 pts

30, Graham Vials/Bevis Field (20,20,6,16,7,3,16,(29),18,18,29) 152 pts

49er, final day – Gold fleet

1, Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks, GBR (3,2,2,1,4,2,2,2,2,6,1,2,6,7,(DNC),(DNC)) 42 pts

2, Christoffer Sundby/Frode Bovim, NOR (2,1,8,3,3,1,8,11,7,1,(20),4,(20),14,1,6) 70 pts

3, Rodion Luka/George Leonchuk, UKR (4,4,2,8,2,7,3,(10),5,10,2,11,7,(25),5,3) 72 pts

other GBR

4, Paul Brotherton/Mark Asquith (9,7,7,5,4,8,1,4,RDG 5,2,2,9,1,9,2,(20),(18)) 72.6 pts

6, Stephen Morrison/Ben Rhodes (1,8,(11),6,6,11,6,4,4,(16),6,6,11,3,10,15) 93 pts

7, Alister Richardson/Peter Greenhalgh (1,14, (DNC),6,4,4,2,1,1,15,10,7,14,1,(22),14) 94 pts

Finn – final results

1, Ben Ainslie, GBR (3,5,7,8,(19),4,1,2,1,10,3) 44 pts

2, Rafael Trujillo, ESP (9,8,1,5,5,10,(19),1,6,1,2) 48 pts

3, Andrew Simpson, GBR ((32),14,9,1,1,3,3,4,8,8,24) 75 pts

GBR

16, Charlie Cumbley (7,12,23,(47),29,20,28,10,11,27,22) 189 pts

21, Dave Mellor ((51),16,20,6,17,35,11,22,13,30,27) 197 pts

33, Matt Howard (44,38,62,40,36,19,9,24,22,(OCS),41) 335 pts

39, Edward Greig ((57),36,41,38,39,32,29,57,30,28,32) 371 pts

Star – Gold fleet, final results

1, Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau, FRA (1,2,5,2,3,1,4,1,2,(DNC)) 21 pts

2, Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom, SWE (3,6,2,3,2,3,1,(DNF),1,7) 28 pts

3, Iain Percy/Steve Mitchell, GBR (13,1,1,2,1,1,2,2,19,23) 42 pts

Mistral Men – Gold fleet, final results

1, Przemek Miarczynski, POL (1,1,1,8,1,1,1,1,1,6,(DNC)) 22 pts

2, Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, GRE (4,3,2,(OCS),1,21,5,4,3,3,7) 53 pts

3, Gal Fridman, ISR (3,4,1,(DSQ),7,10,4,12,5,2,9) 57 pts

GBR

6, Nick Dempsey ((14),7,4,6,4,3,11,6,19,9,1) 65 pts

31, Dominic Tidey (16,12,7,19,3,6,(51),44,23,34,47) 211 pts

54, Leo McCallin (20,24,22,33,(50),27,34,48,42,45,37) 331 pts

Mistral Women – final results

1, Lee Korsitz, ISR (1,4,3,6,1,(32),2,2,14,5,17) 55 pts

2, Barbara Kendall, NZL (2,1,12,5,11,9,4,1,10,1,(27)) 56 pts

3, Faustine Merret, FRA (3,(27),10,1,6,6,5,9,2,17,4) 63 pts

GBR

11, Natasha Sturges (18,(21),18,15,10,7,10,16,1,19,8) 122 pts

31, Bryony Shaw (23,44,28,34,46,42,22,13,8,31,(OCS)) 291 pts

Yngling – final results

1, Hannah Swett/Joan Touchette/Melissa Purdy, USA ((16),12,2,7,1,10,4,1,1,12,4) 54 pts

2, Ulrike Schuemann/Wibke Buelle/Winnie Lippert, GER (15,(27),1,1,13,2,2,10,4,1,12) 61 pts

3, Dorte O Jensen/Helle Jespersen/Rachel Kiel, DEN (1,5,7,17,(32),6,5,15,7,2,2) 67 pts

GBR

7, Shirley Robertson/Sarah Webb/Sarah Ayton ((37),18,5,10,2,3,1,18,3,21,17) 98 pts

12, Cathy Foster/Jane Norris/Annie Lush (22,23,10,5,10,(28),3,7,20,11,21) 132 pts

39, Dominica Lyndsey/Lucy Burn/Vicky Symmers (40,39,29,34,OCS,41,(DNC),DNC,40,27,27) 361 pts

Europe – Gold fleet, final results

1, Siren Sundby, NOR (1,1,3,5,2,3,14,1,23,1,(DNC)) 54 pts

2, Sari Multala, FIN (1,1,2,1,33,(53),1,15,1,6,1) 62 pts

3, Mary Gaillard, USA (9,4,3,7,5,8,21,(33),5,9,10) 81 pts

GBR

26, Laura Baldwin (29,30,23,25,29,10,20,(43),22,12,13) 213 pts

55, Nicky Muller (9,31,20,18,54,47,34,55,34,44,(54)) 345 pts