World Number 1 Team Lead Aussie 470 Nationals

With a fleet including two Olympic Gold Medallists you would expect the competition to be tough – and it is! Even the Olympians, Malcolm Page and Tessa Parkinson, are not having it entirely their own way at the 2011 Australian 470 National Championships. Hosted by the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, the Australian 470 Nationals are taking place from 9 -12 March 2011. After three days of racing it is unsurprisingly the world's #1 ranked team of Mat Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS) who are leading the fleet. But with one day of racing left on Saturday there is still time for the rest of the fleet to close the gap.

Belcher and Page are not quite as convincing as last year, when they won the 2011 Australian 470 Nationals with a string of race wins – but they are still extremely fast! A scoreline of bullets was only upset on the last race of day 2 when they were over the line at the start. Back to day 3 today and they were again on race winning form, claiming victory in 2 of today's three races to lead by a comfortable 8 point margin.

The second overall team of Sam Kivell and Will Ryan are considered the main contenders for the top Aussie ranking and are rated at #16 in the world. They secured a win in Race 7 today – and are likely to hold onto second overall after tomorrow's final day.

Third overall are Matthew and Robert Crawford and with a world ranking of #97, they will be pleased with their consistent performance.

2008 Olympic Gold Medallist Tessa Parkinson has teamed up in a new partnership with Markieke Jongens, and whilst the pair are still finding their feet as a new team, are in fourth overall.

Racing concludes on Saturday 12 March.

After racing each day, the 470 teams face up against the next generation of young sailors in an Optimist head to head with AUS$1,000 up for grabs.

Top 5 Overall

More Information:
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Image: Mat Belcher and Malcolm Page © Victor Kovalenko