A lack of wind led to the abandoning of Finn and Yngling medal races scheduled on Saturday on Course A of Qingdao International Sailing Center.
The light wind of less than 5 knots forced the medal race of Finn to be abandoned when the 26-strong fleet finished rounding the first two marks, which was already one and a half hours later than the scheduled time.
"I put the USA at the back of the fleet, but coming downwind, the race committee decided to abandon the race. It was very frustrating to me. I thought to myself, the conditions are very unpredictable, so I just have to cope with it the best I can," said British medal favorite Ben Ainslie, who aimed to pocket his third Olympic gold in a row.
"At the end of the race that was abandoned, Zach and I had a little gentlemanly chat. He mentioned that he would like a silver or bronze medal, and I said to him, 'This is the Olympics, and I can't take any chances.'" he mentioned his nearest rival Zach Railey from the United States, who crossed 12-point margin behind Ainslie.
The medal race of Yngling also failed to sail after the 15-boat fleet waited nearly four hours. The Yngling medal race is postponed to Sunday as the first gold medal to be awarded at the Olympic sailing regatta.
An official schedule of races will be announced later Saturday evening.
(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)