Paris 2024 Olympics: Matt Wearn racing for gold or silver in finale of ILCA 7 regatta in Marseille

Last Olympics he only had to start and finish the Medal race to win his gold. This time Matt Wearn has a little more work to do to defend his crown.

Matt Wearn is on his way tho the ILCA 7 medal race. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

For his first Olympic medal Matt Wearn only needed to start, sail and finish the Medal race to snare his gold.

In Marseille, Wearn has a slightly tougher but still very achievable battle on his hands to become Australia’s first ever single-handed sailor to defend an Olympic crown.

With a 14 point lead over his closest rival Pavlos Kontides from Cyprus – which equates to seven places in a double-point scoring Medal race – Wearn is guaranteed a silver medal at worst in Tuesday’s Medal race.

But the two-time world champion and Olympic titleholder wants gold and to achieve this he needs to finish in the top seven of the 10-boat finale.

Interestingly Wearn is in exactly the same situation going into the medal race that old training partner Tom Slingsby was in when he won Australia’s first gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

Matt Wearn racing in Marseille. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

“The last four days been at the top of the leaderboard and that’s been the goal for the week, just to continue that,” Wearn said.

“I think any points gap you can have going into the medal race is fantastic, so hopefully try and defend the position tomorrow and see what tomorrow brings as well.”

Ultra light winds across the Bay of Marseille again caused hours of delays for all classes at the Olympic regatta but in the end they played into the hands of the Australian who has been leading the ILCA 7 since day two of his event.

A bad day on the water and a medal may not have been guaranteed.

If he wins gold, Wearn will also be the first Australian skipper to defend an Olympic crown with Mal Page winning back-to-back 470 titles as a crewman at the Beijing Olympics with Nathan Wilmot and at the London Olympics with Matt Belcher.

Australia's Matt Wearn and Netherlands' Duko Bos (R) in close racing. Picture: Nicholas Tucat/AFP

One of the first sailors to get a race in the light wind was kiter Breiana Whithead who moved up into seventh place in the spectacular new Olympic class with a ninth place in her fifth race of the event.

Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown on the racetrack.

Over on the Nacra course the young team of Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown moved a step closer to their goal of a top 10 finish in an Olympics they did not expect to be racing at.

The team were being aimed at the LA Olympics but the decision of Rio silver medallist Jason Waterhouse to take on a role with an America’s Cup team left his cousin and crew Lisa Darmanin without a skipper to campaign with.

This slingshort the young crew to the Paris Olympics for invaluable experience before LA with the duo now 12th overall and just two spots outside the Medal race.

Zoe Thomson racing the ILCA 6.

While Dutch legend Marit Bouwmeester guaranteed herself a gold in the ILCA Medal race on Tuesday with her dominating display, Australian Zoe Tompson bow out of her first Olympics with a 20th place overall

Grae Morris won Australia’s first sailing medal with his silver in the foiling windsurfer class.

More sailing from AMANDA LULHAM

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Originally published as Paris 2024 Olympics: Matt Wearn racing for gold or silver in finale of ILCA 7 regatta in Marseille