Mistral medals settled

Alessandra Sensini highlighted her class

Austria's Christoph Sieber and Italy's Alessandra Sensini achieved a common goal in winning gold in the men's and women's Mistral sailboard class.

But the circumstances of their victories were anything but common.

While Sieber came into the regatta without a major international title, Sensini - who won bronze in Atlanta - underlined her status as world champion by landing Olympic gold.

And while Sieber went into the last race knowing he only had to finish in the top ten to clinch the gold, Sensini overhauled German Amelie Lux in the last race of the series to draw level on points and win the gold on countback.

Sensini owed her gold to a bold gamble in the downwind stretch of the final race by sailing in close to the northern foreshore in the hope of finding more wind.

Gamble

The gamble paid off as she found a breeze which scooped out of one of the many small bays around the harbour and catapulted Sensini back into the lead.

Defending Olympic champion Barbara Kendall from New Zealand had to settle for bronze this time round from a series in which the three medallists won all the races between them.

Sieber's victory was achieved from farther out than Sensini's as he overhauled Argentina's Carlos Espinola in the last two races to give landlocked Austria their second sailing medal of the Games, following the success of Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher in the Tornado catamaran class.

The 29-year-old Sieber started the final two races ten points adrift of Espinola but a fifth place in race ten, and the discard of his two worst finishes (23rd and 24th) saw him leapfrog Espinola going into the final race.

That gave him the luxury of being able to sail conservatively in the final race and his seventh place was enough to clinch the gold.

Espinola finished third in the final race to claim his second silver medal ahead of New Zealand's Aaron McIntosh who was confirmed as the bronxe medallist after finishing fourth in the last race.

Atlanta gold medallist Nikolaos Kaklamankis of Greece finished on a high note by winning the final race but finished out of the medal positions.