Olympic sailing concludes with a rush for silver
It could have been the day when Team GB won two more Sailing gold medals... but it wasn't to be. Instead silver was the order of the day making the total British medal haul one gold and four silvers
August 10, 2012
The sun came out and so did the crowds for the 470 medal races in Weymouth. Double gold was the hope for British fans, but it wasn't to be... instead both the men's and women's teams had to settle for silver behind the Australian and Kiwi teams respectively.
Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell win silver in the men's 470 class - photo Onedition
First up was the colourful young men's team. They had a hard task: not only did they need to beat their Aussie rivals but they also had to finish with one boat between them... It started well, and at one point they were in gold medal position, but the Australian duo got ahead and when the British pair were penalised for pumping, it was all over. Still, it was a tremendous performance by Patience and Bithell, and they celebrated in some style as patience somersaulted into the water to congratulate the gold medallists.
Next it was the turn of Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark. They were tied on points with their Kiwi rivals, and as defending world champions the chance to win gold looked good. They won the start, the Kiwis were forced right, but right paid, while the Brits were held left. One move, one bit of bad luck and it was over. No wonder theirs was a tearful rather than jubilant finish... but it was undoubtedly a great achievement and they immediately vowed they would return for 2016.
Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills 470 silver medallists - photo Onedition
And with that the Olympic dream was over for the British Sailing team - just the match racing results awaits conclusion tomorrow, but sadly the British girls were knocked out in the quarter-finals. The only question remaining there is whether Australia will add to its gold medal haul, or will Spain take the top prize, while the bronze medal match is between Finland and Russia.
See our Top 10 Moments From the 2012 Olympic Games and stories from earlier in the week, including Olympic Silver for Nick Dempsey and First Olympic Sailing Medals Decided in Weymouth.
