The sailor Giles Scott collected gold in the Finn class on Tuesday to claim Great Britain’s 17th gold medal and add to the team’s successful Olympic Games so far in Rio.
The 29-year-old was all but guaranteed to win gold having amassed an insurmountable points tally coming into the final race and simply had to turn up and partake in the race to secure glory. Slovenia’s Vasilij Zbogar and USA’s Caleb Paine won silver and bronze, respectively.
Scott, who sails for Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup syndicate, finished a frustrating 17th in the scrappy first race but improved through the competition, winning three of his 10 races, with two second-place finishes and two thirds.
The medal adds to a string of British success both on the water and in the velodrome over the past few days which leaves Team GB behind only USA in the overall table. China are currently fourth with 15 golds, while Russia (11) are fourth and Germany (nine) are fifth.
