Rochdale sailor Stuart Bithell experienced the darker side of leading an Olympic regatta but held on to top spot in Tokyo.
Having won Tuesday’s fourth and final race to lead the standings, Bithell and Dylan Fletcher were marked men and Spain’s Diego Botin le Chever and Iago Lopez Marra got a little bit too close for comfort.
Bithell, who won Olympic silver in the 470 class in London, finished 12th in that race but the score was ‘dropped’, as the Games format allows.
They came back to finish second in the sixth race and keep the lead.
“We had a target on our backs when we were leading, a lot of boats tacking on us and we weren't quite as prepared for that as we should have been,” said Fletcher, whose exploits with Bithell were broadcast live on Eurosport and Discovery+.
“We had to battle through.
“We were a bit surprised in the first race when the Spanish pairing were tacking on us and we were like, 'wow', we've got a lot of racing left to be thinking about tacking on other crews.
“But we tried to focus on our racing and we're glad to have pulled it back in the last.”
Bithell and Fletcher have consistently won races at the highest level and are still seeking medal consistency despite being No.1 in the world.
With high winds and Typhoon Nepartak no less hitting Tokyo, conditions have favoured Team GB and this pair in particular.
Reigning Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are on the charge and the Kiwis won the sixth race, which will worry the rest of the field.
"At the halfway stage, there's no place you'd rather be than leading at this point even if it's neck and neck,” said Fletcher.
“There’s a long way to go but some different conditions, which is what we like, and we’re mixing it up."
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