Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson closing on another world title

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, the Olympic champions, are poised to add the world title to the one they won in China in 2008. After four of the six scheduled races in the Star class world championship, being held on the venue for the 2016 Games, Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay, they lead 71 other competitors by virtue of one first place, two seconds and an 11th. They are 19 points clear of the Brazilians, Alan Alder and Guilherme Almeida, but their biggest threat comes from the Swiss skipper, Flavio Marazzi, who has a first, fourth and a sixth in his score and each boat is allowed one discard. Looking ahead, Percy said: "it's about avoiding disasters in a 72-boat fleet." So far they have been able to do so and the British pair could win this championship with a race to spare.