Laser World Championship bronze medallist Matt Wearn thrived in the sturdy breeze that swept through Palma to charge into title contention, as Mat Belcher and Will Ryan consolidated their stranglehold on the 470 fleet with perfect results on day three of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Spain.

Belcher and Ryan kicked off finals racing with two wins to extend their advantage to 19 net points over crews from Japan and Germany. The Rio Olympics silver medallists and four-time world champions are showing they’ve lost none of their prowess after a six-month break.

While Belcher and Ryan appear comfortable at the head of the 470 fleet, the Laser battle is heating up, with Australians Wearn and Tom Burton inside a top 5 that features all three Rio Olympic medallists. Four Australians are in the top 20, three of them in the top 10.

Wearn, with a 2 and 1 in Gold group racing, is just three net points behind leader Sam Meech of New Zealand, who won the bronze medal in Rio, while Burton, the reigning Olympic champion, is placed 5th after a 4 and 2.

"It was shifty but there was not the pressure differences of the previous days and so you couldn’t really get left behind,” Burton said.

“I was not good early in the first race and got back into it and the second one was OK.”

Mitch Kennedy, who jumped 59 places on day two, held 8th position after emerging with a 15 and 8, and Finn Alexander is 20th.

In other notable results by Australian sailors, Oli Tweddell produced a bullet and 7 to move up to 16th in the Finn Gold group, overtaking teammate Jake Lilley, who scored a 13 and 3 and is 17th. 470W competitors Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries grabbed a 6 and 2 in Silver group.

_{Interview with David Gilmour and Joel Turner.} 

470

Mat Belcher/Will Ryan - 2, (13), 3, 1, 1, 1 - 1st (Gold group)

Chris Charlwood/Josh Dawson - 12, 30, 10, 25, (30), 12 - 32nd (Gold group)

470W

Nia Jerwood/Monique de Vries - 17, 8, 11, (19), 6, 2 - 28th (Silver group)

49er

David Gilmour/Joel Turner - 10, 4, 11, 1, 5, 1, (BFD), 19, 19 - 15th (Gold group)

Lachy Gilmour/Ryan Donaldson - 2, 15, (17), 8, 7, 10, 11, 3, 9 - 29th (Silver group)

Kurt Hansen/Harry Morton - 19, 3, 4, 22, 13, 18, 19, (30), 22 - 43rd (Silver group)

49erFX

Natasha Bryant/Annie Wilmot - 22, 10, 6, 7, 15, 16, 22, (DNC), 18 - 24th (Gold group)

Amelia Stabback/Ella Clark - 18, 14, 11, 20, 25, (UFD), 3, 2 - 31st (Silver group)

Finn

Oli Tweddell - 26, (39), 31, 7, 1, 7 - 16th

Jake Lilley - 15, 25, (42), 19, 13, 3 - 17th

Jock Calvert - (50), 35, 5, 36, 44, 32 - 35th

Lewis Brake - (65), 49, 50, 53, 36, 36 - 51st

Laser

Matt Wearn - 5, 2, 6, (24), 2, 1 - 2nd (Gold group)

Tom Burton - 2, (24), 2, 22, 4, 2 - 5th (Gold group)

Mitch Kennedy - (23), 4, 3, 8, 15, 8 - 8th (Gold group)

Finn Alexander - 1, 5, 1, 31, 24, (37) - 20th (Gold group)

Luke Elliott - 17, 18, (32), 30, 1, 1 - 62nd (Silver group)

Daniel Self - 47, 15, 26, (56), 33, 15 - 92nd (Silver group)

Laser Radial

Paige Caldecoat - 43, 53, 21, 49, (UFD), 36 - 103rd (Silver group)

Nacra 17

Tayla Rietman/Lachie White - 19, 21, 22, 22, 23, 22, 7, 8, (UFD) - 42nd

FULL RESULTS

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