Dempsey seeks silver lining

Windsurfer Nick Dempsey hopes to add another silver to Great Britain's sailing medal haul on Tuesday afternoon.

After Ben Ainslie won gold on Sunday and Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson took silver, the 31-year-old heads into the medal race second in the overall standings. Dempsey has an 11-point cushion over nearest rival Toni Wilhelm of Germany, with Poland's Przemyslaw Miarczynski a further six points back.

The Athens 2004 bronze medallist cannot win gold as Holland's Dorian van Rijsselberge has an unassailable lead, although things are less certain for Dempsey.

"I knew he'd won halfway through the first race," he said. "He deserves it.

"I don't feel too bad. It's not like I lost it, more like he won it. He sailed better than me, and deserved to win."

Dempsey may be nervous but his father, Mike, is confident his son will take silver.

"[On Sunday] he put in a good day at the office," he said referring to Dempsey's ninth and second. "He did what he had to do, he's got himself a buffer of 11 points and I'm a bit more relaxed now. I know he's perfectly capable of doing it."

Britain also have a chance of a podium spot in the women's RS:X, although Bryony Shaw comes into the medal race seventh in the fleet.

The 2008 bronze medallist sits 11 points off the bronze and silver medal positions - with Israel's Lee-El Korzits and Finland's Tuuli Petaja tied on 38 points - heading into the deciding double-pointer.

"I've done a good job to be in an [medal] attacking position," Shaw said. "I'm 11 points off silver; there's potential there. I'm in seventh place but the points are much closer."