Olympian Ben Ainslie tops open rankings for first time

Ben Ainslie wins 2010 Match-Racing World Championships

Three-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie is number one in sailing's open world match race rankings for the first time.

Ainslie took over top spot in the wake of winning the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia on Sunday, thereby clinching the ISAF Match Racing World Championship.

He led his Team Origin crew to victory in the ninth and final event of the World Match Racing Tour series.

Ainslie, ranked at eight a year ago, had been second before swapping places with New Zealand's Adam Minoprio.

Macclesfield-born Ainslie, who had trailed Minoprio in the rankings since July, has 12,527 points to his nearest rival's 11,761.

The Briton's successful crew comprised double Olympic champion Iain Percy, Mike Mottle, Matt Cornwell and Christian Kamp.

606: DEBATE Have your say on Ben's achievement Mike L - BBC Sport

Ainslie, who will now concentrate on London 2012, said the team had set their sights on winning this year's Monsoon Cup as it would help make up for a difficult year in which Team Origin's campaign for the 2013 America's Cup was scrapped.

France's Mathieu Richard stays at number three in the rankins ahead of Australian Torvar Mirsky, with Britain's Ian Williams completing the top five.