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BEIJING - New Zealand's yachting team didn't know whether to curse or celebrate after high winds off Qingdao helped Tom Ashley seize the lead but provided a hiccup for Jo Aleh's gold medal hopes.
The business end of the regatta looms this week with four genuine New Zealand medal chances - Ashley (first), Aleh (third), Barbara Kendall (fifth) and Star pairing Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams (sixth).
There were broad grins in the New Zealand camp when Fushan Bay offered up welcome 20-plus knot winds for the first time, which team manager Russell Green said were all too familiar from home.
But things went awry when one committee boat began to sink and another had anchor problems, meaning long delays as the Laser, Laser Radial and Star classes raced only once.
"It was a bit of a disappointing day, and it's not very satisfactory when you train for four years and you only manage six races in three days," Green said.
"Some of the equipment wasn't up to scratch and there were a lot of unhappy sailors out there."
The conditions offered mixed results for the New Zealanders.
Ashley cemented his gold medal favouritism to finish fifth and second in the day's two races, as he claimed the lead in the men's RS:X for the first time as he built a five-point buffer over Frenchman Julien Bontemps. Three races remain before the medals are decided.
Israeli Shahar Zubari, who dominated the first four races in light air, wasn't as comfortable in choppy seas and had his worst finish of 19th in race seven to drop to third, six points behind Ashley.
"Tom had a couple of really good races and there were light weather experts lying ahead of him so he would have liked one more (yesterday)," Green said.
Green feared New Zealand may not have many more chances to shine in the strong winds, with lighter air forecast to return.
That would mean better news for Aleh in the Laser Radial, as she followed three consecutive seconds with a 14th placing to slip from first to third.
"Jo struggled against the bigger girls, she's happier in the lighter winds," Green said.
There was drama for Star pairing Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams who suffered a broken runner block which nearly broke their mast.
They made running repairs but it meant their worst finish of the regatta, 11th, although they remained in medal contention in a keenly-contested 16-boat fleet.
It dropped them to sixth overall but only five points off the lead held by Poland.
Kendall relished the conditions to suggest she can't be counted out of the race to add a fourth Olympic boardsailing medal to her impressive haul.
Kendall, 40, continued her steady improvement to finish fourth and third, which moved her to fifth overall, just six points behind the bronze medal spot occupied by Jessica Crisp of Australia.
Andrew Murdoch made up ground in the Laser class with a fifth placing in race six, edging him up to 12th overall, but time was running out to make the top-10 to contest the medal race.
- NZPA
