Tweddell overhauls Olujic on countback to win Sailing World Cup finn class

Oliver Tweddell earned men's finn class gold on countback ©Australian Sailing

Australia’s Oliver Tweddell claimed victory in the medal race to move to the top of the finn class standings as the opening Sailing World Cup of the season drew to a close in Melbourne.

The home favourite had been locked in a closely fought battle with Josip Olujic throughout the duration of the week and trailed the Croatian heading into the concluding race of the regatta, where points were doubled.

That meant there was the possibility for Tweddell to claim the overall victory and he drew level on 13 points by beating Olujic to the line, with the feat seeing the Australian earn gold and a spot at the Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi by count-back.

There was another close contest in the women’s 49erFX class with New Zealand’s Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland only leading by a solitary point from Australia’s Tess Lloyd and Caitlin Elks heading into the medal race.

Both teams were left surprised by Sweden’s Julia Gross and Cecilia Jonsson who won the final event of the regatta, but the overall victory was decided in the concluding seconds as the Australian crew narrowly edged home ahead of their Kiwi rivals.

Following the result Lloyd and Elks were crowned winners after finishing on 19 points, with Dawson and Copeland just one adrift.

"At the start we got a little mixed up with what was happening with the wind and didn't make the best choices on the course, unfortunately that put us behind on the first leg and it was just catch up from there," Elks said.

"The biggest thing was the decision at the end around the bottom mark, whether to hold the kite or drop it.

"We were behind so it was pretty much the only thing we could do and we just made it."

Tess Lloyd and Caitlin Elks earned a narrow victory in the women's 49erFX class ©Australian Sailing

While Australia were able to celebrate in the women’s event, New Zealand gained revenge in the men’s 49er as Logan Dunning Beck and Jack Simpson maintained their overnight advantage to finish four points clear of Will and Sam Phillips.

Singapore’s Colin Cheng was another international winner, after he rounded off his regatta with a solid third place finish to win the laser class, the biggest Olympic division at the World Cup, by finishing on a total of 26 points.

The London 2012 Olympian enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory, with New Zealand’s Thomas Saunders ending 11 points adrift in second.

Australia’s Ashley Stoddart also proved a dominant victor in the women’s laser radial event as she claimed victory by a 10-point margin from New Zealand’s Susannah Pyatt, while her compatriot Joanna Sterling won the RS:X class in style after winning nine of the week’s 10 races.

Both gold medals in the men’s and women’s 470 classes had already been decided heading into the final day of action, but twin brothers Alexander and Patrick Conway earned victory in the medal race to complete a perfect series.

Meanwhile, their fellow Australians Carrie Smith and Jaime Ryan earned their first World Cup win by ending eight points ahead of their team-mates Sasha Ryan and Aurora Paterson in the women’s event.

Germany’s Florian Gruber claimed gold in the non-Olympic kiteboarding competition by 11 points, with Croatia’s Martin Dolenc finishing second.