KEY POINTS:
Some front runners were ousted from the top spot during the pressure of the double-points medal race on the last day of the Sail Auckland regatta on the Waitemata Harbour yesterday.
Ukraine's Maxim Oberemko, dominant throughout the regatta, went into the men's boardsailing medal race with an eight-point
margin over Julian Bontemps of France. However, Bontemps won the race, sailed in easterly winds of 8-12 knots, and then turned to watch where Oberemko would finish.
The Ukrainian came in seventh, relegating him to the silver medal, and sealing the gold for Bontemps. J.P. Tobin of New Zealand sailed a solid race, finishing third and maintaining his position for the bronze medal.
Current world champion Alessandra Sensini won the women's boardsailing, adding another gold to her recent win at Sail Melbourne, as well as her win at the New Zealand national championships in late January.
Kiwi Andrew Murdoch had a close battle with Luka Radelic of Croatia in the Laser class throughout the four-day regatta and the tussle lasted right through the medal race. Murdoch had to finish within two places of the Croatian to secure the gold medal and did so, placing sixth in the medal race, with Radelic scoring a fourth and the silver.
Kiwi youth sailor Josh Junior took out the medal race and another Kiwi, David Weaver, claimed the bronze.
Jo Aleh went into the women's Laser Radial race in top spot with a three-point margin over Krystal Weir of Australia but failed to secure a medal. Aleh crossed the line in eighth place, sliding out of the medals to finish fourth overall.
Weir won gold over Sohphie de Turckheim of France. Miranda Powrie of New Zealand moved up to claim the bronze.
The most spectacular finish of the day was in the Open 470 race, where overnight leaders Geoff Woolley and Mark Overington of New Zealand were under pressure from 16-year-old Kiwis Carl Evans and Peter Burling.
The youth pair won the final qualifying race in the morning and, when Woolley and Overington placed fifth in that race, the two local crews went into the medal race with 27 points each.
The lead changed frequently, with Woolley and Overington slipping back to 9th in the fleet.
However, they fought back and after a tight rounding of the final mark it was all-on to the finish line, with Woolley and Overington blasting through, passing their young rivals to cross the line in third and claim the gold medal.
Evans and Burling were fourth, giving them the silver medal.
Shelley Hesson and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher were the top-placed women's 470 crew and finished 6th overall in the open fleet.
Dan Slater, ranked number two in the world in the Finns, won the gold medal convincingly.
Brett Sellers and Nigel Williams won the Tornado gold.