Rio Olympic favourites Mat Belcher, Will Ryan lose world 470 sailing lead in light winds

SOMETIMES even the best in the business can have a bad day and that day has come for Olympic champion Mat Belcher and crewmate Will Ryan at the world 470 sailing championships.

Olympic sailing gold medal favourites Mat Belcher and Will Ryan back in Sydney training for the 2016 Rio Olympics at Middle Harbour, Sydney. Pic Brett Costello

SOMETIMES even the best in the business can have a bad day.

And that day came for Olympic champion Mat Belcher and crewmate Will Ryan on the third day of their campaign to defend the world 470 sailing crown.

The pair are among Australia’s leading gold medal contenders in Rio next year but even they are human.

After a trifecta of wins on the first day and a couple of solid places on day two, it was light tricky winds which proved the undoing of the pair on Thursday in Israel.

A 22nd and 15th put a major blemish on their scorecard and say the Australian duo relinquish their top spot at the Olympic classes regatta for the first time.

“When you are up against the best and in tricky conditions, I guess you know your turn will always come with the good and the bad,” Ryan said.

“We are sailing quite well, but unfortunately today we didn’t quite get the opportunities we needed, and that is certainly part of racing.

“Light winds, short choppy waves, and big variations in pressure made the course a tactical battlefield and I’m sure most teams would agree they had some zero to hero moments and vice versa.

Olympic sailing gold medal favourites Mat Belcher and Will Ryan prior to a Sydney training session.

“Tomorrow is another day with two races, and the event is far from over — it’s just getting interesting.’’

The team, which formed in the wake of Belcher winning gold at the London Olympics with the now retired Mal Page, have won the past two world titles together.

But victory in Israel will see Belcher rack up an incredible sixth crown on the trot as he and Page won together before the team split.

Originally published as Rio Olympic favourites Mat Belcher, Will Ryan lose world 470 sailing lead in light winds