#annalise_murphy – One point off the overall lead in the Laser radial class Annalise Murphy, Ireland's best hope for a sailing medal,  continued her campaign unabated yesterday when she sailed again at the top of the fleet in her first race of the day. The performance of the Irish Olympic debutante to lead the regatta after four days of racing against Olympic and world champions is nothing short of remarkable.

Today's final two fleet races are crucial with so many consistent peformers at the top of the fleet.  The top three sailors overall are on 23, 24 and 26 points respectively. Annalise will be mindful of any result scored outside the top 20 that could put her out of medal contention.

She maintained pole position until the third mark when Lijia Xu (CHN) edged in front of her.

The pair continued to battle it out for the top spot for the rest of the race, never allowing the other competitors to challenge them. Ultimately it was Xu (CHN) who crossed the line in first place but she was followed by Murphy in a close second. It was a major result because Murphy's main rivals Bouwmeester (NED), Young (GBR) and Van Acker (BEL) finished 4th, 6th and 8th respectively meaning Murphy extended her lead to eight points.

In Race 8 yesterday afternoon Murphy finished in 10th place to lose pole position for the first time in the competition. She's now second overall but only one point behind Van Acker (BEL) on 24 points and with the final two fleet races today.

#49er – Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern dropped out of the top ten of the 49er skiff class yesterday after their fifth consecutive day of racing to be 11th overall  as the fleet pause for a rest today. 

The Belfast pair had three races this afternoon taking 14th, 7th and 15th respectively. Race ten was one of their most impressive races of the event. Even though they ultimately finished in 7th place, they held their own with the best in the world shifting from 4th to 5th place and keeping ahead of the overall leaders; Outteridge and Jensen (AUS) until the very end of the race. Seaton and McGovern are currently 11th overall on 97 points.

The Australians, Outteridge and Jensen, hold the lead on 42 points followed by Burling and Tuke (GBR) on 51 and Lehtinen and Bask (FIN) on 66 points. The 49er class have a rest day today and resume on Sunday.

#OLYMPICS - Ireland's impressive showings in aquatic sports at the London Olympics may be the key to bringing in much needed corporate sponsorship, as the Evening Herald reports.

Sailing in particular has yet to capture the public's imagination in the same way as track and field athletics or boxing.

But with 22-year-old Annalise Murphy riding high in first place in the Laser Radial standings and on course to take the gold medal, the sport's profile is rising - and headline sponsors will surely come following the lead of her personal sponsor Tayto, and new sailing supporter Providence Resources.

The oil exploration firm - which recently struck a black gold bonanza off the south coast - signed on as a "generous" sponsort of the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) earlier this year, which is just the ticket for what can be an expensive sport.

ISA performance director James O'Callaghan said that big-ticket sponsorship would be a welcome addition to the "vital" grants received from the Irish Sports Council.

"The results that Annalise has had so far show how our teams are able to compete on an international level," he added.

"I think it's a good package for any sponsor. They are a really young team with Annalise, the 49ers and then we got a medal in the Youth Worlds in July for the first time in 16 years."

The Evening Herald has more on the story HERE.

#OLYMPICS ON TV - Sailing action continues for another week at the London Olympics, with BBC Three and BBC HD being the best places to catch the race action on TV.

First place Annalise Murphy will be racing her Laser Radial this afternoon and tomorrow - races that sadly will not be televised, according to our sources - but her class' medal race scheduled for Monday 6 August at 2pm, with live coverage expected on RTÉ and BBC.

In the 49er, Matt McGovern and Ryan Seaton are half-way through their race schedule and will be in action in three races today 3 August, with two apiece on Sunday 5 August and Monday 6 August, and with the medal race in their class set for next Wednesday 8 August at 2pm.

In the 470, Scott Flanigan and Ger Owens have just got their campaign underway and will be racing this afternoon, tomorrow 4 August, Monday 6 August and Tuesday 7 August, with the medal race sheduled for Thursday 9 August at 2pm on BBC One.

James Espey in the Laser will also be in action today and tomorrow from 1pm, with the medal race in his class set for Monday 6 August at 2pm.

Meanwhile, David Burrows and Peter O'Leary will be looking to put their recent disqualification behind them this afternoon, with the medal race in their Star class to be contested on Sunday 5 August at 2pm on BBC Three.

In canoeing, Ireland's last medal hopes rest with Andrzej Jezierski in the men's C1 200m. The Polish native will be in action in the first heat of the day on Friday 10 August at 9.50am, with the semi-finals set for 11.15am should he qualify, and the finals taking place on Saturday 11 August at 9.45am.

In rowing, Sanita Puspure easily outclassed the field in her semi-final race, crossing the line 10 seconds ahead of her closest rival, and the Latvian heads into tomorrow's finals in lane 3 of the C group at 10.20am on BBC One and RTÉ Two.

#PERTH 2011 – Belfast pairing Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern are on their way to the London Olympic Games thanks to another solid performance in Perth today in the crucial closing stages of the 49er World Skiff Championships. It's Ireland's second successful qualification result at the ISAF World Championships. Last week Annalise Murphy became the first Irish sailor through. The pair who been recording  impressive results in the breezy championships currently lie 10th overall and seventh country. Seaton and McGovern took two fifth places today to take Olympic qualification with ease.

Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern from Ireland have qualified for the Olympics in the 49er class today. Photo: Richard Langdon

The 67– boat fleet now splits into Gold and Silver fleets with the top 25 boats entering the Gold fleet. Racing will continue through to Saturday with the top 10 teams then continuing on to the medal race on Sunday.

Fourteen London 2012 49er spots were available at Perth 2011 and after eight races the 14 places have been decided. Australia, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the USA will all be on the starting line at Weymouth next year.

Croatia's Pavle Kostov and Petar Cupac made the gold fleet by six points ahead of Steve Thomas and Jaspar Warren (AUS). They take the last qualification spot and if selected will compete at their second Olympic Sailing Competition after their 17th place finish at Beijing 2008.

Five more 49er spots will be available at the 2012 World Championship in Zadar, Croatia from 4-13 May 2012.

#PERTH2011 – Ireland's first sailor for London 2012, Annalise Murphy of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, sailed a further three races in Perth at the ISAF World Sailing Championships today finishing 37th, 17th and 4th respectively to lie fifth overall. There is a further day of racing tomorrow before the top ten competitors progress to the medal race on Sunday. It will be very difficult for her to medal now having a 26 point drift.

In other classes, Ger Owens and Scott Flanigan are currently lying in 34th position in the Gold fleet of the 470 class. They can still qualify Ireland for the Olympics as the top 19 nations will secure a place. They race until Saturday, with the top 10 then proceeding to the medal race on Sunday.

Ross Hamilton in the Finn is in 65th position but will not qualify Ireland for the Olympics at this event burt has one more opportunity at the Finn World Championships next year.

Ireland is guaranteed a medal today at the British Skandia Sail for Gold regatta in the Star class but Peter O'Leary's clean run in the keelboat this week was not without drama yesterday when his crew Fritjof Kleen slipped overboard 300 metres from the finish line.

Peter O'Leary and Frithjof Kleen (IRL) against Fredrik Loof and Johan Tillannder (SWE) in the Star class on day 5 of the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta. Photo: onEdition

A bullet in race six has pushed Dun Laoghaire sailor Annalise Murphy up the rankings at the European Laser Radial Championships in Estonia. Two top rive results have seen Annalise boosted to 17th overall in the 81-boat fleet. The regatta is still in the group stage, but Murphy's position will see her coast into the Gold Fleet.

Compatriots Debbie Hanna and Tiffany Brien lie in 37th and 43rd respectively.

The event was dogged by thick fog on Monday and competitors were confined to shore until 2pm. 

Racing continues until Friday.

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