KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch wore a grin as sunny as a Kerikeri day after leading the overall standings in the first two races of his class at the Olympics yesterday.
Murdoch, originally from Kerikeri, led a good New Zealand day at the Qingdao regatta, with world
champion boardsailor Tom Ashley also handily placed at third overall after a win and a seventh in two consistent races yesterday.
"It's my first Olympics so it's good to get away to a good start," said a grinning Murdoch yesterday.
Regardless of what he expected, Murdoch and 2008 world championship silver medallist Julio Alsogaray (Argentina) got a jump on the field at the start, maintaining and extending their lead until Alsogaray won with Murdoch clearly in second.
But in the next race, Murdoch sailed consistently while Alsogaray dropped back to 13th to be third overall, with Italy's Diego Romero second overall.
Favourite and double world champion Tom Slingsby (Australia) had two poor races and is well down the field.
"In the second race, I just went out there to be consistent and do what I do well - sail the boat well," said Murdoch, 26.
The light conditions gave many competitors big ups and downs in consecutive races, so Murdoch's second and fifth was enough to boost him to the top of the field.
"But I'm not silly enough to think I'm doing well yet," he said. "I know there's a long way to go in this regatta."
Meanwhile Ashley moved up to third place overall after four races, winning the fourth well and salvaging a seventh in the third race with a strong finish, lifting himself from 12th early on.
He is also in a quality field, with former 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medal winner Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (who took the silver in Athens four years ago and is eighth at present) also among the leading chances.
Greece's Kaklamanakis was the man selected to light the Olympic torch in Athens after the original choice, sprinter Kostas Kenteris, avoided a doping test.
Other notables are Brazilian ace Ricardo Santos (ninth) - who had the gold medal position in Athens before a horrible last race pitched him out of the medals altogether - and overall leader Shahar Zubari of Israel, who has two wins and two thirds in four races. Hong Kong's Chan King Yin is second overall.
Other chances are Julien Bontemps (France), now fourth overall, and Nick Dempsey (Britain), fifth.
Barbara Kendall made progress in the women's boardsailing event, taking a good fourth in her second race after a 12th in her first race yesterday, meaning she is in sixth place overall.
Jo Aleh also made a comeback after failing to break into the top 20 of the 28-yacht field in the opening race of the women's Laser Radial class, eventually finishing 22nd.
She fought back well for a fourth in her second race, leaving her 11th overall.
In the men's 470, teenage sailors Carl Evans and Peter Burling came in 14th, and 12th, earning them 11th place overall.