Ocean Addict

Well it's been a great day for the the British competitors in the watersports events!

Rowing:

In the rowing events, the men's 8 found themselves comfortably victorious today when they finished a clear length ahead of the reigning Olympic champions, the US. Well done and good luck for the final! The women's 8 also did us proud, coming second in their heat, and will race again tomorrow to hopefully secure their place in the final. The British women were victorious again with a win in the double sculls, confidently securing their place in the final. Having executed a perfect and very exciting final 500m run, they took on the German lead and brilliantly left them in their wake! Good luck for Saturday ladies! Alan Campbell came third in the single men's sculls, having been just pipped to the post by the Germans and Swiss, making it through to the semi-finals.

Sailing:

Double Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie is currently leading the Finn class at the end of 6 out of 11 races but it hasn't been an easy ride. Having finished 10th in race one, dropping into 9th at one point during race five and battling in the middle of the fleet for race six, ending up in tenth place, Ainslie remarked that the conditions haven't mad it an easy regatta for anybody.

The Ynling girls started their races trailing behind the rest of the fleet, but powered their way back up to secure their lead with a fourth and second place in todays races. They may be in the lead, but have yet to win a race...watch this space!

The news isn't so great for the 49er boys who are currently 9th overall. Could tar on the centreboard be the cause of the slower boat speed? Or could it be down to the rising amounts of algae in the water? Verdict coming soon!

Windsurfing:

The algae has also caused problems for the windsurfers, delaying the start and forcing a re-think on the location. But the first day of the RS:X races sees Bryony Shaw in 3rd place for the women, and Nick Dempsey in 9th place overall. With rankings of 11th and 9th, Dempsey has a lot of catching up to do in this Olympic regatta if he is to retain his medal winning status. Shaw is confident with her performance in light airs and her general fitness in comparison to the competitors, so fingers crossed for continued success!

Canoe Slalom:

Congratulations go to David Florence in reaching the semi-finals of the canoe slalom, today at the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park. With impeccable turns through the upstream gates, he breezed through in a time of 82.16 seconds; the second quickest of the day.

Let's hope we can consolidate this good effort with some medals!

We'll keep you posted...