Rio Olympic sailors Mat Belcher, Will Ryan in unfamiliar waters after horror start to world 470 titles

RIO Olympic-bound sailors Mat Belcher and Will Ryan win so often sometimes they only create waves when they don’t.

MAT Belcher and Will Ryan win so often sometimes they only create waves when they don’t.

On Tuesday two or the best Olympic class sailors in the world had one of the worst possible starts to a regatta.

The Australian pair, favourites for Olympic gold at the Rio Games later this year, began their chase for a fourth world crown together with a major mistake.

The 470 dinghy world champions were over at the start, meaning their fourth placing in the race doesn’t count.

In the second race the pair, known for stringing wins together early in regattas, found themselves caught up in the mass to post a 21st.

As a result the pair are in very unfamiliar situation of being 33rd overall.

Olympic sailing gold medal favourites Mat Belcher and Will Ryan suffer horror first day at world titles.

“It was a tough day for us,’’admitted Belcher, chasing an extraordinary seventh world title in Argentina after winning three with another crewmate before joining forces with Ryan.

“This was not the start we were looking for but we have the experience to get ourselves back on track. We have quite the hole to get out of now but we’re looking forward to the challenge.’’

The pair have plenty of time to recover from their first-day horror but can now ill-afford another mishap at the regatta at San Isidro.

“It’s going to be a long week,’’ Belcher said.

Originally published as Rio Olympic sailors Mat Belcher, Will Ryan in unfamiliar waters after horror start to world 470 titles