Three Golds and Two Silvers for Team GB Sailing Team Overall

Our tally of medals from the Team GB Sailing Team has finished at five. Three Golds and two Silvers and finally the sailing has received some of the TV coverage it deserves.

Iain Percy claimed the Finn Gold with a race to spare. Ian Walker and Mark Covell very nearly won the Gold in the Star after Torben Grael was OCS'ed in the last race. Team GB's sailing team has been the best ever and have topped the medal table in the Syndey 2000 Sailing Medal Standings.

Iain Percy summed up the point where he know he had won the Gold Medal:

"It's bloody tough but I've had a good regatta ... I knew what I had to do and I found myself in a position halfway through the race where I knew it was going to happen ... I had to make sure that the only person who could beat me didn't have a good race ... I found myself in a position halfway through the race where I knew it was going to happen ... suddenly I started to relax"

Nigel Cherrie's Team GB Report:

ONE MORE GOLD AND TWO SILVER MEDALS FOR TEAM GB

The sailing members of Team GB will leave Sydney in a few days time having achieved what no other British Olympic sailing have ever managed and what others will strive towards, three Olympic Gold and two Olympic Silver medals. Not only have they continued to be one of the most successful squads within Team GB, they are also the most successful sailing nation in the Sydney Olympic Games.

As RYA Olympic Manager John Derbyshire, the man responsible for Great Britain's most successful medal haul from sailing outlined this afternoon, the Sailing Members of Team GB for Sydney 2000 have met and surpassed all expectations.

The sailing team converted 50% of the starters into medals - five of ten disciplines will bring home a medal of some colour.

"I'm obviously delighted for the sailors who have won medals but just as proud of everyone else as they have all delivered results to their potential and those who haven't medalled here I'm sure will continue their campaigns and achieve their personal goals in 2004".

"As a team our aim was quite simply to provide a world class organisation and management structure to produce the best prepared team of any Olympic sport and I'll certainly leave Sydney in a few days feeling like we have achieved that. " said John.

Iain Percy secured our third Olympic title with a race to spare inside Sydney Harbour early this afternoon, as he became a Great Britain's first Olympic medallist in the Finn class since 1952.

"It's been a long series for us so being able to finish one race early is a nice feeling," said Iain on stepping ashore to a hero's welcome from Team GB.

On being asked how it feels to be called an Olympic champion, he replied: "It's the pinnacle of our sport which you dream about but its not something you ever think is going to happen but now its slowly sinking in that I've done it".

"I was sailing to my limits this week. I was well prepared and the team was well prepared around me so if there was ever a time I was going to peak it was here".

Although his lead this morning was not unassailable, he was secure in the knowledge that he could wrap up the Gold with one race to spare and only Frederik Loof (Sweden) could break the lead he has held from the second race seven days ago.

Opting for the same tactics as best friend and new Laser Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, Percy sailed Loof down the fleet. The Swedish multiple world champion lost touch with the leaders and could only fight back to eleventh, which overall dropped Loof back to the Bronze medal position but gave Percy an eleven point edge over eventual Silver Medallist Luca Devoti (Italy).

"I took the view that it was going to be a safer option if the only person who could beat me had a bad race so I just made sure of that. Inevitably, like Ben yesterday, that means I didn't have the best race of my series either but as soon he was well down and the leaders had got away I was pretty safe," explained Iain.

For Ian Walker and Mark Covell, their Olympic Silver medals are the rewards of an extremely tough but meteoric 18 month campaign. They started the last race this afternoon in the provisional Silver medal position with defending champion Torben Grael (Brazil) holding the lead while 1992 Olympic Gold medallist and current world champion Mark Reynolds (USA), was tied on points with Walker and Covell in third.

After Grael was OCS (On Course Side - over the start line early) the battle for the Gold medal came down Walker and Rreynolds. Whoever finished higher in the race would be the Olympic champion. Reynolds eventually got the upper hand but the British pair were more than happy to win the Olympic Silver medal.

"We're obviously delighted. To be racing for the Gold medal in the last race of the Olympics was just awesome. We got to within one point of our target and we're obviously proud to be part of such a successful British team. I'm so happy for all the people who have supported us over the last 18 months," said Walker.

Percy, Walker and Covell will also receive their medals this evening on the steps on the world famous Sydney Opera House.

Finn: (overall results after 11 races, 2 discards)

Star: (overall results after 11 races, 2 discards)