Final standings (after 11 of 11 races)

1. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 42 (5-4-1-1-2-5-2-7-11-4-18)
2. CAN, Ross Macdonald, Mike Wolfs, 51,2 (7-11-4-3-1-5.2-8-14-8-2-2)
3. FRA, Xavier Rohart, Pascal Rambeau, 54 (3-9-6-15-7-2-4-12-3-1-7)
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5. USA, Paul Cayard/ Phil Trinter, 71 (1-6-15-10-3-6-1-15-6-8-16)
6. GBR, Ian Percy/Steve Mitchell, 73 (8-3-12-9-6-3-16-5-7-17-4)

Brazil's Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira clinched the Star class gold medal Thursday with one race left , while the silver and bronze medals will be decided Saturday.

Grael, 44, has won five medals in six Olympics, dating to his silver in the Soling class in 1984. Grael also won the Star gold in 1996, and has two bronzes. Grael and Ferreira sailed a consistent regatta against a fleet loaded with some of the world's best sailors. In 10 races, they were out of the top seven only once, finishing 11th in the first of Thursday's two races for the 17-boat fleet.

Grael was the tactician for Prada Challenge in the 2003 America's Cup, helping the Italian-based crew eliminate Cayard's AmericaOne in the challenger finals. Luna Rossa was then swept in five races by Team New Zealand.

American skipper Paul Cayard, in his first Olympics at 45, and crew Phil Trinter, are ranked fourth overall with 56 points, nine points shy of the silver.

Star standings (after 10 of 11 races)

1. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 31 (5-4-1-1-2-5-2-7-11-4)
2. FRA, Xavier Rohart, Pascal Rambeau, 47 (3-9-6-15-7-2-4-12-3-1)
3. CAN, Ross Macdonald, Mike Wolfs, 49,2 (7-11-4-3-1-5.2-8-14-8-2)
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4. USA, Paul Cayard/ Phil Trinter, 56 (1-6-15-10-3-6-1-15-6-8)
7. GBR, Ian Percy/Steve Mitchell, 69 (8-3-12-9-6-3-16-5-7-17)

Star standings (after 8 of 11 races)

1. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 20 (5-4-1-1-2-5-2-7)
2. CAN, Ross Macdonald, Mike Wolfs, 39,2 (7-11-4-3-1-5.2-8-14)
3. USA, Paul Cayard/ Phil Trinter, 42 (1-6-15-10-3-6-1-15)
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5. FRA, Xavier Rohart, Pascal Rambeau, 43 (3-9-6-15-7-2-4-12)
6. GBR, Ian Percy/Steve Mitchell, 46 (8-3-12-9-6-3-16-5)

Star standings (after 6 of 11 races)

1. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 13 (5-4-1-1-2-5)
2. CAN, Ross Macdonald, Mike Wolfs, 26 (7-11-4-3-1-6)
3. USA, Paul Cayard/ Phil Trinter, 26 (1-6-15-10-3-6)
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5. FRA, Xavier Rohart, Pascal Rambeau, 27 (3-9-6-15-7-2)
7. GBR, Ian Percy/Steve Mitchell, 29 (8-3-12-9-6-3)

Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira took first places in both of Sunday's races and have opened a substantial lead in first place.

standings (after 4 of 11 races)

1. BRA, Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, 11 (5-4-1-1)
2. DEN, Nicklas Holm/ Claus Olesen, 20 (4-12-2-2)
3. SUI, Flavio MAarazzi/ Enrico DeMaria, 21 (10-1-3-7)
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6. GBR, Ian Percy/Steve Mitchell, 31 (8-3-12-9))
7. USA, Paul Cayard/ Phil Trinter, 32 (1-6-15-10)
8. FRA, Xavier Rohart, Pascal Rambeau, 33 (3-9-6-15)

Great Britain's Ben Ainslie emulated the outstanding achievement of his Yngling team mates on Saturday as he won the teams second Gold medal in emphatic style, carving his name on the slate of Olympic history with his third Olympic Medal.

Going into the final, deciding race of the series, Rafael Trujillo (ESP), was a mere 14 points up Ainslie's transom, So to break into the Gold medal position he had to finish at least fourteen places ahead of Ainslie. He finished just one place ahead.

Final standings

1. Ben Ainslie (GBR), 38 pts (9-26/DSQ-1-1-4-1-2-3-2-1-14)
2. Rafael Trujillo (ESP), 51 pts (8-3-3-6-2-3-26/DSQ-4-5-4-13)
3. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 53 pts (3-1-6-4-11-26/DSQ-17-1-7-2-1)
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13. Dean Barker (NZL), 113 pts (5-10-7-11-7-16-26/DSQ-12-19-20-10)
14. Kevin Hall (USA), 115 pts (11-6-13-17-16-14-13-9-9-17-7)

While Great Britain secured their first gold medal this afternoon thanks to a superb display of sailing from Shirley Robertson's Yngling crew, Ben Ainslie guaranteed himself a silver medal.

The 27-year-old came back from fifth at the first mark to finish second to Greece's Aimilios Papathanasiou in Race 9 and then led the 26-man fleet across the line in Race 10, his fourth win of the past six days.

With the final race due to be sailed on Saturday, he is now 14 points clear of second-placed Spaniard Trujillo, who finished fourth after a poor race. Poland's Mateusz Kusznierewicz is third, 28 points adrift of Ainslie,

Standings (after 10 races out of 11)

1. Ben Ainslie (GBR), 24 pts (9-26/DSQ-1-1-4-1-2-3-2-1)
2. Rafael Trujillo (ESP), 38 pts (8-3-3-6-2-3-26/DSQ-4-5-4)
3. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 52 pts (3-1-6-4-11-26/DSQ-17-1-7-2)
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13. Dean Barker (NZL), 107 pts (5-10-7-11-7-16-26/DSQ-12-19-20)
14. Kevin Hall (USA), 108 pts (11-6-13-17-16-14-13-9-9-17)

Today’s racing was sailed in a building sea breeze from the southerly quadrant, which was still shifting around as the men kicked off for race seven in six to seven knots of breeze.

The results of race eight mean that Team NZ Ben Ainslie tightened his grip with a second and third place to lead by eight points overall. Ainslie's closest rival, Spain's Rafael Trujillo (+39 Challenge), was disqualified in race seven and was fourth in race eight out of 11.

Dean Barker was deemed to be over the starting line disqualifying him from the first race and finished his second race of the day in 12th place. He holds on to 9th overall on the leader board.

Standings (after 8 races out of 11)

1. Ben Ainslie (GBR), 21 pts (9-26/DSQ-1-1-4-1-2-3)
2. Rafael Trujillo (ESP), 29 pts (8-3-3-6-2-3-26/DSQ-4)
3. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 43 pts (3-1-6-4-11-26/DSQ-17-1)
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9. Dean Barker (NZL), 68 pts (5-10-7-11-7-16-26/DSQ-12)
15. Kevin Hall (USA), 99 pts (11-6-13-17-16-14-13-9)

Briton Ben Ainslie has continued his rise from the depths of despair to grab the overall lead after six races on a truncated day of sailing in the Olympic regatta.

Ainslie, Laser champion in Sydney and gold medal favourite in the heavier boat in Athens, followed up back-to-back wins on Sunday with a fourth and first place on Monday.

He has net 16 points, just one ahead of Spaniard Rafael Trujillo. Overnight leader Mateusz Kusznierewicz dropped to third after the Pole crossed the start line prematurely in race six and was penalised with last place.

While current Team NZ skipper Dean Barker dropped from fourth to ninth, Russell Coutts watched Monday's races from an officials' boat, twenty years after he won the Finn gold medal at the Los Angeles Games.

Standings (after 6 races out of 11)

1. Ben Ainslie (GBR), 16 pts (9-26/DSQ-1-1-4-1)
2. Rafael Trujillo (ESP), 17 pts (8-3-3-6-2-3)
3. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 25 pts (3-1-6-4-11-26/DSQ)
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9. Dean Barker (NZL), 40 pts (5-10-7-11-7-16)
14. Kevin Hall (USA), 60 pts (11-6-13-17-16-14)

After a day of light air sailing on Saturday, the notorious Meltemi wind that howls out of the Athens hills put a little too much air into the Olympic sailing regatta. So much so that at least 30 boats capsized Sunday and the courses looked more like nautical demolition derbies. There also was scattered equipment damage, but no reports of injuries.

There's nothing like getting angry to get even and the most impressive performance of the day was by Ainslie, the Finn favorite who needs to sail the rest of the regatta almost perfectly because of a loss in the protest room Saturday night. He did just that Sunday, winning both races to jump from 19th overall to eighth.

It was cruel to American Kevin Hall and New Zealander Dean Barker , where it took three attempts in the shifting wind to get in the first of two races. Barker, the hard-luck skipper in Team New Zealand's America's Cup loss last year, led around the first two marks in the first race before the Meltemi and the seabreeze collided, canceling each other and leaving the boats bobbing in the chop. That led to the first abandonment, with Hall in third place.

Standings (after 4 races out of 11)

1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 14 pts (3-1-6-4)
2. Rafael Trujillo (ESP), 20 pts (8-3-3-6)
3. Karlo Kuret (CRO), 26 pts (6-2-10-8)
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4. Dean Barker (NZL), 33 pts (5-10-7-11)
8. Ben Ainslie (GBR), 37 pts (9-26/DSQ-1-1)
13. Kevin Hall (USA), 47 pts (11-6-13-17)

British Finn sailor Ben Ainslie's hopes of a Gold medal took a serious blow late on the first day after he was disqualified following a protest by French sailor Guillaume Florent.

In a statement after the disqualification was confirmed Ainslie said, "As far as I'm concerned there wasn't an incident and I wasn't in the wrong. He tried to make something of it as it was the Olympics and as there were no witnesses and no jury [boat]. I am frustrated, disappointed and angry and all I can do is get my head down and sail the best I've ever sailed to be in with a shot."

The news has dealt the Finn favourite a serious blow pushing him from 4th overall to 19th in the 25 boat fleet. With a disqualification in the second race and a disappointing 9th in the first, few write off Ainslie's medal chances, but there's little doubt that this adds serious pressure too early in the event.

Standings (after 2 races out of 11)

1. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), 4 pts (3-1)
2. Emilios Papathanasiou (GRE), 6 pts (1-5)
3. Karlo Kuret (CRO), 8 pts (6-2)
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6. Dean Barker (NZL), 15 pts (5-10)
8. Kevin Hall (USA), 17 pts (11-6)
19. Ben Ainslie (GBR), 35 pts (9-26/DSQ)

Unpredictable winds will make tactics and race strategy paramount for the 400 competitors that make up the two-week Olympic sailing regatta which starts on Saturday in the pristine waters of the Eastern Saronic Gulf. The Agios Kosmas sailing center, situated 14 km south of the center of Athens, plays hosts to racing over four courses.

There are 11 events in nine boat classes and in the only change from Sydney, the Yngling, a three-person keelboat for women, makes its Olympic debut in place of the Soling class. Eleven races are scheduled for each event except the 49er, in which there are 16. Competitors are allowed to discard their worst finish from the series and in the 49er the two worst scores can be excluded.

Some of the world's best known sailors will be competing in Athens, including a host of America's Cup veterans ready to swap the glamour and prestige of the multi-million dollar extravaganza for the challenge of Olympic competition.

+39 Challenge's Iain Percy, Finn champion four years ago, has switched to the Star class and will be a hot pre-race favorite while american Paul Cayard, one of the world's best sailors, will compete in his first Olympics at age 45 in the Star Class after beating Mark Reynolds, the defending gold medalist and a four-time Olympian, at trials.

Other competitors include French Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau, two other members of the Italian +39 America's Challenge, and the former Prada Challenge's tactician Torben Grael (BRA).

Finn Class will include an intramural scrum among three members of Team New Zealand's America's Cup crew -- skipper Dean Barker, a native Kiwi; navigator Kevin Hall, an American; and Ben Ainslie of Great Britain. Ainslie won the Laser Class gold in 2000 and silver in 1996.