Wearn cannot be removed from the top spot, and will be awarded the gold should he simply finish Sunday’s race or avoid disqualification. 

“I’m just over the moon,” Wearn gushed, after being greeted by cheering Australian teammates when he came off the water at Enoshima on Friday. “To have it signed, sealed and delivered with one race to spare is a dream come true.” 

The Perth sailor has a 22-point lead after 10 races, and will now enjoy a day-off before Sunday’s medal race. 

The win is set to be Australia’s third straight gold medal in the event, following victories by Tom Slingsby in 2012, and Tom Burton in 2016. 

And while Wearn stole the attention on Friday, there are more strong medal chances to come. 

Veteran skipper Mat Belcher and Will Ryan are leading their fleet, after another solid day in competition today. 

The five-time World Champions extended their lead in the Men’s 470 class, and said they focused on “keeping things simple” as they navigated a tricky day of light winds. 

“Our speed was really good and we are feeling good, so it is nice to walk away with two good ones again today,” Belcher said. “There were some difficult moments out there and we had to use a little bit of gut intuition and just go with what works for us.”  

In further success for the team, Mara Stransky finished her final race in the best way possible – in pole position. It capped off a great day for the young Laser Radial Sailor, who finished her first race of the day in 3rd, then the next in 1st. 

“I am stoked that I did finally have a good day,” Stransky said. “I was going to be a bit down in quarantine when I returned to Australia if I didn’t do what I did today.”  

And there’s another huge day on the waters of Enoshima on Saturday, with three Australian boats out in competition. 

The action will be headlined by Rio silver medallists Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, who are currently sitting in 5th place in their fleet. They have three races on Saturday, and will be looking for consistent, strong performances to nudge up the ladder. 

Victorian brothers Will and Sam Phillips will be hoping to use their last two races of competition to move up the rankings and into the top 10 qualifiers for next week’s medal race. The pair started their Olympic campaign with a bang, but have since had difficult finding form out on the water. 

And Queenslander Jake Lilley is also looking to secure his place in the top 10 of the Finn class – he’s currently in 8th position after six races. 

Katherine Firkin