Rio 2016: Giles Scott continues Great Britain's golden tradition in Finn class sailing

The overwhelming favourite, an Olympic debutant, lived up to the great expectations

Simon Peach
Tuesday 16 August 2016 19:56 BST
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Giles Scott has wrapped up Olympic gold, continuing Great Britain's domination of the Finn class.

Few debutants at Rio 2016 shouldered quite as much expectation as the 29-year-old, having failed to win just two regattas in this Olympic cycle, getting silver in those events.

However, the overwhelming bookmakers' favourite flourished rather than wilted under such pressure and maintained Britain's Finn stranglehold in style.

Started by Iain Percy's Sydney 2000 triumph and continued in the next three Games by Sir Ben Ainslie, Scott ensured his country would take home a fifth successive Olympic gold in the class with a race to spare.

The four-time world champion merely needed to complete the final race to top the podium, finishing second in a medal race that doubled up as a lap of honour.

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