MARSEILLE, France, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch duo of Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz clinched the first sailing gold medal of Paris 2024 in women's skiff (49erFX) on Friday, while Diego Botin and Florian Trittel of Spain won gold in men's skiff (49er).
Van Aanholt and Duetz went into the medal race trailing France's Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon by just a point. Both crews took turns leading the rankings throughout the opening series and went into the decisive race with gold on their minds.
The Dutch pair crossed the finish line in third, which helped secure a first Olympic gold medal for the reigning world champions.
Sweden's Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler finished first in the medal race, which was enough to collect a silver medal. Steyaert and Picon placed sixth in the final 49erFX race of the regatta, which earned them a memorable bronze in front of a jubilant home crowd.
"It's been a week with a lot of different wind which is cool because it showcases our sport and shows you can't be a one-tricky pony. We are very happy with how we sailed today," said Van Aanholt.
The Spanish pair of Botin and Trittel sailed impressively throughout the regatta, finishing top into the medal race of men's skiff (49er). They had not won an individual race heading into the decisive medal race, but they saved their best for last, dominating the fleet in an exceptional show on the water to cross the line first.
New Zealand's Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie wrapped up the silver medal with an important third placed finish in the medal race. American Ian Barrows and Hans Henken managed to secure bronze after a brilliant fourth in the final sail.
"We knew what we wanted, which was to do the best medal race we could, to win that gold medal. That made us stay very focused, we had a clear game plan and I think we managed to execute it almost perfectly," said Trittel.
