Rio star Scott helps break Round the Island Race record

Olympic champion Giles Scott will have something to brag about next time he meets up with Sir Ben Ainslie.

Scott, part of Ainslie's America's Cup team in Bermuda, played a guest star role for Ned Collier Wakefield's Team Concise, as they set a new course record at the Round the Island Race in Cowes.

It's the third time in five years that the quickest time for the 50-mile circumnavigation has been broken.

Three years ago Ainslie erased a 12-year old mark but that time was smashed last year by Lloyd Thornburg's super-fast multihull Phaedo3.

However, tactician Scott - who won Finn gold at Rio 2016 - and the Team Concise crew were exactly one minute quicker as they claimed line honours, powering over the finish in Cowes in a time of two hours, 22 minutes and 23 seconds.

While Scott was back in time for breakfast, most of the other 1,352 boats, despite starting in rain and brisk winds, had to work harder as conditions became lighter in the Solent.

However, the winning boat touched a remarkable top speed of 44 knots off St Catherine's Point on the south of the island.

"To break the record is pretty special, we've been trying for three years and it's a big relief to have finally done it," said Collier Wakefield.

"It was a quick lap and everything went to plan but it got pretty tense for the last half an hour. We didn't realise we'd actually done it until we crossed the line and it felt really great."

Scott also beat three of his British America's Cup team-mates, with Freddie Carr, Matt Cornwell and Nick Hutton third across the line on Gladiator B, last year's overall race winner.

The one-day race, which was first held in 1931, is believed to be the fourth largest participation sporting event in the UK after the London Marathon and the Great North and South Runs.

Sportsbeat 2017