Austrian duo recover from disqualification to share women's 470 overall lead at ISAF World Cup

Austrian pair Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar are joint top of the women's 470 standings ©ISAF

Defending women’s 470 champions Jolanta Ogar and Lara Vadlau of Austria recovered from yesterday’s disappointing disqualification at the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Cup by claiming first and second place finishes in Abu Dhabi today.

Ogar and Vadlau were languishing down in fourth following their difficulties in the second race of the event but they bounced back to move into a joint lead at the top of the overall leaderboard with London 2012 silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark of Britain.

Japan's Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka remain in contention, sitting third after they finished fourth and second in the day’s two races.

“The wind was really nice today but it's the hours we struggle with, we don't like sailing so much in the morning,” Ogar said.

“The wind conditions were perfect with some great waves.

“The GBR girls are a good team and it's good to be so close to them - we like them.”

Formidable Australian duo Mat Belcher and Will Ryan, who came into the season-ending event off the back of sealing their third consecutive title at the 470 World Championships, are well-placed to defend their World Cup crown as they extended their lead at the summit of the overall standings to four points over Americans Stuart McNay and David Hughes.

The Australians were second in the first race before they stormed to victory in the second, with McNay and Hughes suffering the disappointment of a retirement in the day’s final contest.

Britain's Bryony Shaw, defending champion in the Women's RS:X, maintained her overall advantage thanks largely to winning the second race and she now has a two-point cushion over Italy's Flavia Tartaglini, winner of the third.

Shaw’s compatriot Tom Squires continued his pursuit of a successful title defence as he snatched victory in the last race of the day, which came after seventh and second-place results, with Spain’s Ivan Pastor Lafuente his nearest competitor for overall gold.

Australia's Mat Belcher and Will Ryan look well placed to defend their men's 470 ISAF World Cup crown ©Getty Images

Three-times European champion Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic of Croatia was one of the star performers today, reigning supreme in both Finn class races to establish a four-point lead Britain’s Edward Wright and Turkey's Alican Kaynar, who cannot be separated in second.

Poland's Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki are locked in a fierce battle in the 49er class with Italy's Stefano Cherin and Andrea Tesei as the two teams share the overall advantage.

The Polish team won the first race before they were fourth in the following two, while Cherin and Tesei did not finish below second, claiming one race victory in the process.

Australian Tom Burton remains the one to beat in the laser class as he was able to stretch his lead at the summit of the leaderboard to three points thanks to coming home in second in in the day’s opener, with veteran two-times Olympic gold medallist Robert Scheidt of Brazil his closest rival.

Another sailor who looks a good bet for gold title is The Netherlands' Marit Bouwmeester, currently sitting pretty at the top of the laser radial with a three point gap to Sweden’s Josefin Olsson after she discarded her performance in the second race, where she could only finish eighth.

The ISAF World Cup final in Abu Dhabi, which has attracted around 150 competitors from 37 countries, is due to continue tomorrow.