Spain's Diego Botin, along with Florian Trettel won the Olympic gold medal in men's sailing skiff on Friday. The Netherlands' Odile Van Aanholt, and Annette Duetz took the overall win for the women's race despite an error made under pressure.

Spain's Botin & Trettel led the medal race at the start of the event. They are currently on a high after winning $2 million in San Francisco for the F50 class.

After crossing the finish off the coasts of Marseille, they let their winged boat capsize. They roared in joy.

It's like a dream coming true. Botin stated that after years of hard work with the best teams, and with our families present, things don't get better.

The medals in Olympic sailing are determined by the lowest overall series score, and the race for the gold medal carries double points. This can have a significant impact on the outcome.

After the results were tallied the McKiwi men's crew of Isaac McHardie, William McKenzie and Hans Henken from the United States won bronze.

The Dutch women had earlier recovered from an error at the last minute to win gold and become the leaders in points. Sweden took silver, while France won bronze, as they claimed the first medals for the 10 events of Olympic sailing.

The Dutch duo celebrated their victory by jumping into the Mediterranean Sea after the race officials confirmed that they had won.

In near-perfect conditions, the 49erFX World Champions had performed a sailing masterclass. Both were stretched out on their trapezes, as the winged skiff zipped around the course. The spinnaker, in colors of the Dutch flag, powered them downwind during the final leg, towards what seemed to be a sure win.

The race was a wild ride. Just as the two thought they had reached the end, they realized they had been heading the wrong way and needed to drastically alter their course.

The Dutch men's sailing skiff captain Bart Lambriex and Van Aanholt got engaged before the Games.

The gold medal was awarded to us because we were quick to solve the problem.

This mistake gave their Swedish training partner Vilma Böbeck and Rebecca Netzler the win in the medal race and the silver on the overall points.

After a stumbling start, Sarah Steyaert, a veteran French sailor, and Charline Pichon, a sailing novice, were unable to reproduce their speed in the lighter wind and never recovered from the beginning. They had to settle for the bronze medal overall.

The French fan base and families gave the so called 'Mama Team,' an enthusiastic welcome on the shores. Meanwhile the Dutch sailors who won gold were carried shoulder-high by their fans onto the beach as part of a tradition that has been a hallmark for Olympic sailing victories. Reporting by Alexander Smith, Editing by Ken Ferris

(source: Reuters)