Tauranga's Sam Meech is in pole position ahead of the medal race in the Laser fleet at the World Cup regatta in Gamagori, Japan, and has already done enough to at least guarantee silver.
The 26-year-old is the best-placed of the eight Kiwi boats at the first World Cup regatta of the 2018 season and seven have guaranteed themselves top 10 finishes.
The 49er competition concluded yesterday, with Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie finishing fifth, closely followed by Josh Porebski and Tauranga's Trent Rippey (sixth) and Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn (seventh).
Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox are still in with an outside chance of picking up a medal in the men's 470 but will need to claw back some of the ground they lost yesterday when slipping four places to sixth after a 14th in the only race of the day.
Meech has the luxury of knowing the worst he can do is finish second in the Laser and will keep a close eye on world champion Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus who is only three points behind. Great Britain's Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini is another 24 points behind in third.