BRITAIN’S sailors ruled the waves on the final day of World Cup competition in Weymouth and Portland, winning five gold medals among a total haul of 13 at the final event before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Seven of the British Sailing Team’s Rio representatives secured podium positions on their home waters, with medal performances also from rising talents and Olympic hopefuls for Tokyo 2020.

The day culminated in a British sweep of the medals in the 470 Women’s event, with gold medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark flanked on the podium by training partners Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre in silver and the pair of Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter taking bronze.

Maiden World Cup victories went to Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth in the 49erFX and Ben Saxton with Nicola Groves in the Nacra 17, while world champions Giles Scott in the Finn and Nick Thompson in the Laser rounded off event victories on a stunning final day of racing at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games venue.

After a week of light wind conditions, Weymouth and Portland turned on perfect wind conditions for the final day. Luke Patience and Chris Grube opened the medal tally for Britain in the closely-fought 470 Men’s event.

They picked up bronze – their first World Cup medal together – with a sixth place in the medal race, while Scott sealed the first gold medal for the host nation in the Finn class.

Lorenzo Chiavarini won the Laser medal race, but it was double world champion Nick Thompson who took the overall event victory. He maintained his yellow jersey position with a fourth place from the medal race with teammate and training partner Elliot Hanson joining him on the podium in silver.

Dobson and Ainsworth continued the golden run for the hosts, with a fourth place in the medal race enough to hold on to the top spot in the 49erFX event by just one point.

Saxton and Groves also sealed gold in their Nacra 17 on home waters.

The 470 Women’s medal race, the last of the day, wrapped up proceedings in impressive style with three British crews finishing the medal race in the top three and, in doing so, swept the podium spots.

Weguelin and McIntyre won the medal race to advance from overall fourth to silver, but gold went to Mills and Clark, whose second place was enough to elevate them to the top step of the podium, adding Weymouth and Portland World Cup gold to their World Cup victory in Hyeres.

Bronze went to Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter, who consolidated their overall third place with a third in the medal race.

Elsewhere, in the 49er medal race, there was a silver medal for Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign and bronze for John Pink and Stuart Bithell, while Emma Wilson and Izzy Hamilton added silver and bronze in the RS:X windsurfing.