Paris Olympics 2024: Aussie Matt Wearn in box seat for consecutive sailing golds

Australian sailor Matt Wearn is guaranteed a gold or silver medal at the Paris Olympics after the cancellation of men’s dinghy races on Monday. Wearn is in the box seat to claim consecutive Olympic golds in the event and will protect a big lead in Tuesday’s medal race in Marseille. Racing on Monday was scrapped due to lack of wind, meaning the dinghy competition heads straight to the medal race, which is worth double points, on Tuesday. Wearn holds a 14-point lead from Cypriot Pavlos Kontides and a 24-point advantage from Peru’s Stefano Peschiera. That margin ensures Peschiera can’t overtake Wearn. For Kontides to prevent Wearn from securing successive Olympic gold medals, the Cypriot will need to finish at least seven places better than the Australian in the medal race. So if Wearn finishes seventh or higher, or Kontides places fourth or worse, the Australian will collect another gold. Wearn is seeking to become the first back-to-back Olympic champion in the event and continue Australia’s stretch of gold following Tom Slingsby (2012), Tom Burton (2016) and Wearn in Tokyo three years ago. “Any points gap you can have going into the medal race is fantastic,” Wearn said. “I will try and defend the position tomorrow and see what the day brings.” Light winds are forecast for Marseille on Tuesday and if conditions don’t permit racing, a reserve day is scheduled for Wednesday.