Sailing: Andy Maloney leads New Zealand medallists at Princess Sofia Regatta

Andy Maloney won his first major regatta in the Finn class. Photo / Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy

New Zealand sailors have claimed three medals at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma, Spain.

Andy Maloney won his first major regatta in the Finn class, with Josh Junior finishing third. Alex Maloney and Molly Meech collected another silver in the 49erFX, following on from their second placing at February's World Cup event in Miami.

The three medals saw New Zealand finish level with the United States as the second-most successful nation, behind Great Britain, who snared eight medals.

Andy Maloney went into the double points medal race with a four-point lead over Giles Scott, meaning he needed to finish no worse than two places behind the Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion. That's exactly how it played out, with Scott winning the race and Maloney third; Junior was sixth.

"I managed to just do enough in the end, so I'm really happy to come away with that. It's been a really good week," Maloney said.

Alex Maloney and Meech also showed good speed this week, finishing second behind Brazil's Martine Soffiatti Grael and Kahena Kunze, the same finishing order as the 2016 Rio Olympics and World Cup in Miami.

"[We've now won] two silvers [this year] but behind the Rio gold medallists, so mixed feelings. We would really love to be on top of the podium but we know we are close," said Maloney.

There was also an encouraging return to international 49er sailing for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who finished seventh.