Kontides in contention as dinghy duel goes to the line

Australian Matt Wearn and Cypriot Pavlos Kontides look set for a potential head-to-head tactical ‘match race’ for Olympic men’s dinghy gold on Tuesday, with light winds forecast.

Wearn, 28, leads with the lowest points score in the series going into the double-points medal race, with Kontides the only sailor in the 10-boat fleet who can theoretically beat him to gold. Sailing operates on a low-points scoring system.

Asked if he would employ a classic ‘match racing’ approach to try to prevent Kontides from beating him by taking him on head-to-head rather than simply trying to beat the rest of the fleet, Wearn said on Monday he had not decided on his strategy.

Wearn won Olympic gold in the men’s dinghy in Tokyo.

Kontides, 34, said it was unclear how the medal race would play out, with a danger that if Wearn attacked him then it could cost the Cypriot not only a shot at gold but also a medal.

“I’m in a bit of tricky spot right now. Matt can only lose the gold medal to me, so he can match race me and take both of us to the back of the fleet and for me this opens the door for the third and the fourth,” Kontides told Reuters.

Kontides sits 14 points behind Wearn.

“I have to manage to escape and try to do my best to not open the door for people in third and fourth and if I have a chance to attack for the gold I will do it,” said 2012 silver medal winner Kontides, who is at his fifth Games.

Stefano Peschiera of Peru and Britain’s Micky Beckett lie in third and fourth position going into the medal race.

Peschiera is 10 points behind Kontides and Beckett 15.