Hosts bag early Nacra 17 gold at Sailing World Cup Hyères

Billy Besson and Marie Riou have secured an early gold medal in the Nacra 17 at the Sailing World Cup in Hyères ©ISAF

Home athletes Billy Besson and Marie Riou have secured an early gold medal in the Nacra 17 on a day that also saw the men's 470 and 49er gold medals decided at the International Sailing Federation World Cup in Hyères.

Besson and Riou have an unassailable 25-point lead after their three race victories and it will just be the silver and bronze medals to race for tomorrow, with Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning of The Netherlands six points clear of compatriots Renee Groeneveld and Steven Krol and Great Britain’s Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves three further points off in fourth.

New Zealand’s London 2012 silver medallists Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have also sealed a gold medal, in the 49er, and are 45 points clear of Olympic champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Australia, who have already secured the silver with only the medal race to go.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have sealed the 49er gold medal in Hyères ©ISAF

"It's pretty tough in the 49er in that big fleet,” Burling said.

“It's the first time we raced in light air in a big fleet.

“If you start badly you'll be in a tough place but if you get a good start and a good shift then you'll be in really good shape.

"We were stoked to get a couple of good solid ones to begin with and then have it done before the last race today.”

Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel of Germany will now battle it out with Britons John Pink and Stuart Bithell for the bronze medal, with the latter eight points behind the Germans, who are on 132.

The other gold medal decided was the men's 470, with Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić of Croatia securing the top podium spot by ending the day 25 points clear of Britain’s Luke Patience and Elliot Willis.

Patience and Willis go into the final day sitting on 51 points in second, with Australia’s Mat Belcher and Will Ryan and Germany’s Ferdinand Gerz and Oliver Szymanski close behind.

Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić are guaranteed the men's 470 gold medal after their performance at the Sailing World Cup ©ISAF

Briton Giles Scott has also all but secured gold in the Finn and goes into tomorrow’s medal race with a 19-point lead over Vasilij Žbogar of Slovenia.

Elsewhere, Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze knocked Denmark's Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Olsen off the 49erFX top spot for the first time, while another Brazilian pair, Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Barbachan, hang onto the lead in the women's 470 ahead of British Olympic silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark.

Home athlete Pierre Le Coq currently leads the men’s RS:X standings and is guaranteed a medal, while Lilian De Geus of The Netherlands will go into the women's equivalent medal race with a nine point lead.

Finally, Croatia’s Tonči Stipanović is leading in the Laser, while defending Hyères Laser Radial champion Evi Van Acker of Belgium leads her event 13 points ahead of Lithuania’s Gintarė Scheidt.