The 28-year-old from Perth described the day as “super tricky racing” but focused on keeping things simple and fighting for every point.

“I had two 10ths, so it could have been a lot worse but also could have been better, I live to fight another day,” he said 

Matt goes into his penultimate day of racing in first position with a 14-point buffer over second place with two more heats. 

All 43 boats are scheduled for Day 10 ahead of the Top 10 Medal Race on Tuesday.

Kitesurfing made its debut for Paris 2024, with Australia’s Breiana Whitehead posting solid results across her four races. She beamed after her first day of Olympic sailing.

“Definitely happy to have got on the water today, we had a bit of a wait but it was good to get out there and get into the groove of it,” she said.

In the Mixed Dinghy, Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas are positioned strong in eighth overall with four more races to contend for a podium finish. 

“It's all to play for still,” Conor said.

“Everyone's making mistakes, and as you get fewer races, the pressure dials up and people start making even bigger mistakes. 

“We need to keep a calm head, and it's game on.”

The Mixed Multihull had their second day of racing, with Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown now in 12th overall after a strong day of competition for the young pair.

Zoe Thomson fought hard in the Women’s Dinghy in what is an extremely tight fleet. 

The Western Australian sailor is ready to push hard in the next two races to make that final Top 10.

Sailors can anticipate more challenging conditions in Marseille with light and variable winds expected to test their skills as the sailing competition approaches its final stages.

Racing begins at 8pm AEST where Australia will compete in five fleets: Women's, Men's, and Mixed Dinghy, Mixed Multihull and Women's Kitesurfing, with races continuing until Thursday. 

Lisa Darmanin