Slingsby wins two and takes the lead at Laser Worlds

The Australian Sailing Team’s Tom Slingsby has had the perfect day’s racing at the 2010 Laser World Championship in Great Britain, winning both day three races to move into the regatta lead.

The dual World Champions two race wins took him from his overnight eighth position to a four point lead over New Zealand’s Joshua Junior and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold medalist Paul Goodison from Great Britain.

“It was a really good day,” said Slingsby. “There was a lot of current and everyone was really intimidated to get up on the start line but I had good transits and so I was able to start a boat length or two ahead of the boats around me.”

“So I had really good starts, good speed upwind, but I was really fast downwind which is maybe a little out of the ordinary for me,” he said. “I am usually an upwind specialist but today I was really quick downwind, I’m not too sure why.”

Slingsby said that one of the reasons for his success on the water on Wednesday was the fact that he was concentrating on sailing as smoothly as possible.

“Yesterday I got a yellow flag and that maybe did me some good,” he said. “I was trying to stay very still and today was a day about being very smooth and rocking really would not have helped you very much.”

After a slow day two of the 2010 Laser World Championship day three turned on fantastic sailing conditions with a 10 to 12 knot easterly and a nice chop with more of the same forecast for Thursday.

Australian Sailing Development Squad sailor Ashley Brunning was the other big Australian mover of the day with his two third place finishes leaving him 14^th overall, a great reward for his consistency so far this week with his worst race finish to date a 12^th.

New South Welshman James Burman ended the day in 74^th, ahead of Ryan Palk in 79^th who had a fighting sixth place finish in the opening race of the day.

Tom Burton is one place further behind in 80^th with Thor Schoenhoff 134^th and Klade Hauschildt 135^th. Sean Bly ended the day in 139^th while Jared West is in 146^th and Ryan Stoddart and Ashley Lloyd 151^st and 152^nd respectively.

- Craig Heydon, Yachting Australia