Ainsley trails in bid for third gold medal

Ben Ainsley saw his hopes for a third straight Olympic Finn class sailing gold medal reduced Monday when he lagged behind in both races contested. The British sailor wound up sixth and 12th in the third and fourth races of the regatta, but he still had a chance at victory because he was third overall and his worst performance among the first 10 races can be thrown out. Jonas Hogh-Christensen of Denmark, who won the first two races on Sunday, maintained the lead with 11 points after finishing second and seventh on Monday. Jonathan Lobart of France was second with 19 points and Ainsley was third at 22. The volatile nature of the Olympic sailing regatta was demonstrated Monday when Daniel Birgmark of Sweden, who had finished 17th in the first race and 14th in the third, managed a victory in race No. 4. He was in eighth place overall. Through the first four races in the Star class there was a tie at the top between Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson of Britain and Norway's Eivind Melleby and Petter Pedersen. Neither boat has won a race but consistent high finishes have put them at the top. The first two races were also held in the men's Laser and women's Laser Radial classes. Tom Slingsby of Australia was in front in the Laser category after finishing second in the opening race and winning the second one. Annalise Murphy won both races in Laser Radial to take the early lead. The first two of 16 races were conducted in the 49er class, where Norway's Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang were in front. They finished second and fourth in the two races, but neither of the two winners Monday had strong finishes in their other races.