Ed Wright wins silver at Finn class World Championship a month after success in Europeans

Britain’s Ed Wright (left), silver medallist in the Finn Gold Cup, joins winner Jorge Zarif of Brazil (centre) and bronze medallist Jan-Pieter Postma of the Netherlands on the podium in Tallinn, Estonia. (Getty Images)

Silver in the Europeans last month has been followed by silver at the Finn class world championship for Ed Wright in Tallinn, Estonia, the venue which Britain boycotted for when it staged 1980 Olympic Games sailing.

Runaway winner of the Finn Gold Cup was the 21-year old Brazilian, Jorge Zarif, who won the junior title just six weeks ago in Italy.

Britain has won the Gold Cup eight times in the last 11, with Wright himself taking it in 2010, Giles Scott in 2011 and Ben Ainslie in 2012.

Ainslie is in San Francisco with the Oracle team for the America’s Cup and has said he will not mount another Olympic campaign in the heavy singlehander.

Giles Scott is with the Prada-backed Italian challenger Luna Rossa recently beaten on the Louis Vuitton Cup elimination final, but still tuning up with Emirates Team New Zealand challenger to the defender, Oracle.

For Wright the win silver, which he also won in 2010 particularly satisfying as the regatta was held in light airs. He sees it as a confidence booster because the 2016 venue in Rio de Janeiro is notorious for light winds. “I’m mainly known for my strengths in the strong winds,” he said. “I’ve lost weight and trimmed down a lot of my equipment to be more competitive in the light winds, which we expect more of in Rio.”

He will also face competition from Andrew Mills, who was in strong contention until the last two days, and the return of Giles Scott.

In San Francisco, the five-member international jury is expected to announce on Monday the results of two investigation into both gross misconduct by the Oracle team in modifying the 45-foot versions of the wing-powered catamarans for the America’s Cup World Series, and an associated charge of bringing the America’s Cup into disrepute.

It will also announce any sanctions.