Tom Slingsby wins Gold at Kiel Week
Australia's Laser sailor Tom Slingsby has won gold in his class at the Kiel Week Regatta in Germany with a massive 38 point lead, making him a favourite for the upcoming European Laser Championships and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
'Tom Slingsby wins at Kiel Week, Germany. Photo: Kiel Week Regatta'
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The back-to-back World Champion crossed the line second in the final medal race overnight, finishing with 21 points. Portugal's Gustavo Lima finished second on 59 points, while Canada's Michael Leigh finished third on 64 points.
The final race was held in light, shifty conditions similar to those sailors can expect at the Olympic venue of Qingdao.
The win confirms the 24 year old from the NSW Central Coast has fully recovered from the impacted wisdom tooth which plagued him at the Semaine Olympique Francaise in April and a recent bout of glandular fever.
Coach Arthur Brett said Slingsby is well and truly back to form.
'It can sometimes be hard to balance a physical recovery and your mental approach, but Tom is definitely back in the game on both sides and his dominant win here in Germany shows that,' said Brett.
'It's one of the biggest point differences I've seen in a medal race - he raced to win.'
Australian Sailing Team Director Michael Jones said the win shows why Slingsby is the best Laser sailor in the world.
'Tom has won regattas across a wide range of conditions this year and the ability he now has to adjust and win makes him odds on favourite to medal at the Games,' said Jones.
Slingsby now travels to Nieuwpoort, Belgium for the Laser European Championships and then on to Hong Kong to take part in an Australian Sailing Team pre-Games training camp.
Australian Sailing Team Website: www.australiansailingteam.com.au
by Nicole Browne 
Gold COast, QLD
