Giles Scott boosted his bid for a gold medal by tightening his grip on top spot in the Finn Class yesterday.

The four-time world champion now boasts a 12-point cushion after three days of competition.

Scott was 11th in the first Thursday race before securing his second win of the regatta to head into the rest day today on a high.

Scott said: “It’s good to build a bit more of a gap, but I’m frustrated with how I sailed in the first race.

“I found myself with only a handful of boats behind me at that first mark, which was pretty frustrating.

“There was a huge gain on the right hand side of the course all day and I was pretty slow to realise that on that first leg and I let the fleet get to the right of me and it put me on the back foot.

“But I managed to come back to 11th, which I suppose was damage limitation, and to come out and win the next race is all I could ask for really.

“The important thing to remember is that everyone has got big scores now. I don’t think there is one person who has been massively consistent so you know you really have to fight for every single position, regardless of where you find yourself.

“There is a long way to go in this regatta and it’s going to be tough.”

The Finn Class action resumes tomorrow (Saturday) with two more races.