Olympic sailors Mat Belcher, Will Ryan back within striking distance of world crown

DEFENDING world champions Mat Belcher and Will Ryan have bounced back from one of the worst days of sailing in their four-year careers.

DEFENDING world champions Mat Belcher and Will Ryan have bounced back from one of the worst days of sailing in their four-year careers together to leap back into contention for Australia’s first Olympic class sailing crown of the year.

A win in the only race contested at the world 470 championships in Argentina on Wednesday has seen the Aussie Olympic favourites soar from 33rd overall to just outside the top 10.

The Queensland skipper and his Sydney crew can crack the top 10 — and potentially the top three ahead of the gold fleet racing — with two more top race results.

Belcher is chasing a record seventh successive world crown at the event and Ryan his fourth with his Olympic champion skipper.

Mt Belcher, right, and Will Ryan, launch comeback at world titles.

“ We were really happy with our performance and are now slowly trying to crawl our way back up to the top,’’ said Belcher who has gone from 33rd overall to 11th with the race win and a worst result drop calculated into his overall; score.

“It is really tight racing so it will be a long week for all.”

Making Belcher and Ryan’s task difficult are the conditions in Buenos Aires.

Their racetrack has been turned brown by silt with sailors struggling to read the wind on the water or judge where it is coming from due to the dark tinge.

However there have been no reports of the pollution which caused widespread illness among the fleet at the world 49er skiff championships in December.

Brown water at the event is making it difficult for the Aussies to read the wind.

Originally published as Olympic sailors Mat Belcher, Will Ryan back within striking distance of world crown