The Italian pairing still have plenty of work to do with three vital races still to go before the medal race on Saturday (January 31), and only two points separating them from Saxton and Groves, but they are in high spirits. 

"We are happy because it's been a very tricky week," said Bissaro.

"We've been consistent in most races and that's why we're still leading.

"There are three races and a medal race left so we don't want to lose our good mood and we'll look to stay consistent until the end of the World Cup."

Success on the waters of Biscayne Bay last year earned them their first ISAF World Cup gold medal and Sicouri has her eyes set on repeating the feat.

"We want to do the same again this year," she said.

"This event is very important because the Olympic Games are in just one-and-a-half years.

"This Miami fleet is very strong and everybody wants to beat everybody so from now on, each race is going to be very important."

Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindon leads the way in the laser radial ©ISAF



Meanwhile in the laser, Britain's Nick Thompson leads the 106-boat fleet by an eight-point margin ahead of the final day of racing before the double points medal race on Saturday.

Germany's Philipp Buhl is in second place, while there are still a number of serious threats further down the rankings, including New Zealand's Andy Maloney.

Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindon remains top of the leaderboard in the laser radial, despite finishing the lowest of the top three sailors.

Belgium's Evi Van Acker is just five points back, with The Netherlands' Marit Bouwmeester a further two points off the pace, setting up an intriguing medal race on Saturday.

Alex Maloney and Molly Meech of New Zealand hold a huge 56-point lead in the 49erFX, while the battle for podium positions below the 2013 world champions is wide open.

Only nine points separate second place to sixth with Britain's Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth currently occupying the runners-up spot and Italy's Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich, last year's second-place finishers, in third position.

In the 49er, Austria's Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch, the only team to finish in the top ten three times in a row, are the new leaders.

Joel Turner and Iain Jensen of Australia are just one point behind the frontrunners, while Spanish brothers Carlos and Anton Paz are in third, 14 points off the top.

The Netherlands' Dorian van Rijsselberge tops the men's RSX standings ©ISAF



London 2012 gold medallists, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie of New Zealand, hold a 13 point advantage over Britain's Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark in the 470 women, with another British pairing, Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntire, an additional 10 points back.

In the equivalent men's event, European champions Luke Patience and Elliot Willis of Britain lead Australia's Mat Belcher and Will Ryan by nine points and Spain's Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo by 27 points.

Despite an up and down day, The Netherlands' Dorian van Rijsselberge, a London 2012 gold medallist, tops the men's RS:X standings with a three-point advantage over France's Thomas Goyard.

Greece's Byron Kokkalanis is in third, seven points behind the high-flying Dutchman, while in the women's equivalent event, Britain's Byrony Shaw heads the rankings as she looks to defend her title, ahead of The Netherlands' Lilian de Geus and Italy's Flavia Tartaglini. 

Finn class leader Giles Scott of Britain, who has not  lost a regatta in 18 months, doubled his lead to move 18 points clear of both Australia's Jake Lilley and Greece's Ioannis Mitakis with one more day of racing before the double-points medal race on Saturday.

As for the Paralympic events, Norway's Bjornar Erikstad leads Britain's Megan Pascoe at the top of the 2.4mR standings, while Australia's Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch remain the pacesetters in the SKUD18 with Britain's Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell in second and Italy's Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti in third.

Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie Solberg, also of Norway, hold the Sonar lead with the United States' Alphonsus Doerr, Brad Kendell and Hugh Freund a point behind.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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