Team GB sailor Giles Scott strengthened his grip on the Olympic Finn competition with the medal race looming.
The 29-year old is looking to land Team GB a fifth consecutive gold in the event, following on from four straight wins for Sir Ben Ainslie between 2000 and 2012.
And Scott moved a step closer to the title on his Olympic debut, securing first and third place finishes in today’s races to move on to 22 points overall.
Slovenia’s Vasilij Zbogar remains Scott’s nearest rival , finishing fifth and fourth in the two races to move on to 39 points overall.
Scott can guarantee himself gold with the right results in the ninth and tenth races of the opening series, but the Brit insists he won’t take a medal for granted until it’s hanging around his neck.
“I’m very pleased with the two races today,” said Scott. “I’m certainly not going to turn my nose up at a first and third today.
‘It’s nice to put in consistent results at the top of the fleet. Myself and Vasilij [Zbogar] had a good day today and behind that there were a few guys who were up and down.
“It’s looking good going into tomorrow but there’s still a lot to play for.
“Obviously having that points margin is a big confidence booster but I think the thing for me to be focusing on is that it isn’t over.
“You can’t get complacent. You have to attack days like tomorrow like I’ve done today so nothing really changes. But clearly having that margin is a good place to me.”
While Scott closed in on a medal, fellow world champion Nick Thompson saw his podium chances slipping away as he finished 22th in the 10th and final race in the laser class.
The 30-year old from Lymington will progress into Monday’s medal race in sixth place, needing to recover 10 points on third-placed Sam Meech of New Zealand.
“It was a really frustrating day,” said Thompson, who is also competing at his maiden Games.
“The first race was inside on Sugar Loaf and that was really interesting. It was a good battle. The positions were changing constantly but it worked out okay for me.
“Then outside we moved out to Niteroi and out on the bay and we never really got going and into the race. It was just frustrating really. I had plenty of opportunities this whole week and I’ve just never really pounced on any of them.
“I’m certainly going to fight for that bronze tomorrow but I’m just disappointed that I haven’t given myself any more of a chance.
“I think it will be good to have a day off tomorrow, reset and go into the medal race fully fired up and fighting.”
Ali Young will progress to Monday’s medal race in the laser radial but finds herself out of medal contention in eighth overall while Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves remain in the top three of the Nacra 17 competition with the final three races of the opening series taking place tomorrow.
The only other Brits in action were the 49ers and the 49er FX racers.
Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth remain well placed in the 49er FX, lying in sixth after three top 10 finishes today.
Alain Sign and Dylan Fletcher are 12th overall with six races to go in the 49er class but finished an encouraging fourth in their third race today.