Special bond puts Rio Olympic sailors Jason Waterhouse, Lisa Darmanin ahead of the fleet

THEY are the sailing cousins with a special bond — and on-board telepathy — who could help save the day for their sport at the Rio Olympics.

Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin chasing medal glory in Rio.

THEY are the sailing cousins with a special bond — and on-board telepathy — who could help save the day for their sport at the Rio Olympics.

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The star of the London Games with four medals — including three gold — sailing may be navigating a difficult course in Rio thanks to outside influences on the polluted racetrack and the loss of one of our greatest sailors to a fulltime position in the America’s Cup.

Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin chasing medal glory in Rio.

But sailing cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin are emerging as genuine medal contenders with the sailing ability and experience to overcome Rio’s well-publicised underwater obstacles which include dead animals, furniture and plastic bags

For the first time in 20 years Australia has found itself in the unusual position of entering an Olympic Games without a reigning world Olympic class sailing champion.

In contrast, in 2012 Australia’s 49er skiff, men’s 470 and Laser teams converted their three world crowns into gold medals at the London Olympics — a record haul for the sport.

Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanian in race mode.

Now five months out from the games Waterhouse and Darmanin are being viewed as credible medal contenders courtesy of a win in last year’s Test event in Rio and numerous international victories.

“We still have work to do with five months to go but we have confidence we can get on the podium,’’ said Darmanin, who crews in the Nacra 17, the first mixed boat ever sailed at an Olympic Games.

Darmanin believes her special relationship with Waterhouse could be key to their success in Rio where in the two regattas they have contested the pair have notched a first and a second.

Lisa Darmanin and Jason Waterhouse during the unveiling of the official Australian Olympic Team sailing uniform by Zhik. Pic Brett Costello

“Our personalities are yin and yang but we complement each other and we are very close,’’ she said at the Tuesday announcement of Zhik as an official Supplier to the Australian Olympic Team.

“At the start (when the Nacra 17 was put on the Olympic program) there were a lot of Olympic medallists in this fleet and that was quite daunting for us.

“But as it turns out we have actually been together sailing longer than just about anyone, which is a real advantage.

“We know each other so well. We know what the other is feeling without having to ask so sometimes we don’t really even say that much on the boat. ‘’

Mat Belcher and Will Ryan winning the world title in 2015.

London Olympic gold medallist Mat Belcher and new crewmate Will Ryan are considered Australia’s best chances of gold in Rio despite failing to defend their world 470 crown earlier this month on a river chocked with weed in Argentina.

The pair had won every world title together since London prior to their bronze in Argentina under the most testing of circumstances.

Weed made the going tough at Belcher and Ryan’s most recent world titles.

London Olympic gold medallists Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, now both working with the Artemis America’s Cup team, managed to win a silver medal at the 2015 world championships despite Jensen falling ill but finished sixth in 2016. The pair have not beaten Rio favourites and New Zealanders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke since the London Olympics.

Laser gold medallist Tom Slingsby is now fulltime with the Oracle America’s Cup team with the sailor to represent in this class still to be determined.

Zhik on Tuesday said it has supplied sailors in the Olympics with clothes made of new super light and extremely water repellent fabric for increased comfort and extra protection from the elements.