Sailing: Ainslie adds world title to European

Britain's Ben Ainslie added the world championship yesterday to the European title he secured a fortnight ago when he won the Finn Gold Cup in Athens. He had an 18-point margin over the 1996 Olympic gold medal winner and defending champion Mateusz Kusnierewicz of Poland.

Having walked away from America's Cup duty with the Seattle-based OneWorld campaign six months ago, Ainslie's move into the bigger of the two men's Olympic single-handers has been a shining success.

He won silver as an 18-year old in the Laser in 1996 and went one better in Sydney in 2000 when Britain won its best ever haul of three gold and two silvers. Now he follows in the footsteps of a similarly impressive force, Iain Percy, who took gold in the Finn class in Australia.

Percy has moved on to the two-handed keelboat, the Star, in which Britain won gold in 1988 with Mike McIntyre and Bryn Vaile, and silver in 2000 through Ian Walker and Mark Covell.

Ainslie's win means Britain have qualified for a place in the starting line-up for 2004 and, if he continues to show this form, there will be strong pressure to pre-select him, waiving the domestic competitive trials process. "I can't believe I have won this event, it is great," he said in Piraeus yesterday. Others are less surprised.

FINN GOLD CUP (Piraeus, Gr), Final standings: 1 B Ainslie (GB) 19pts; 2 M Kusznierewicz (Pol) 37; 3 E Papathanasiou (Gr) 42. Other GB: 9 A Simpson 84; 11 C Brittle 86; 12 C Cumbley 74.