Ainslie's fifth world title victory bodes well for Beijing

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Ben Ainslie is on course to defend his Olympic sailing title this year - and one of our Magnificent Seven, Giles Scott, is on track to succeed him in 2012.

Ainslie regained his world title when he won the Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne yesterday after not contesting it for two years while on America's Cup duty, and Scott, 22, one of the seven whose progress Sportsmail is following to 2012, won the Finn Silver Cup, the junior title.

Nobody else has ever won the Gold Cup more than three times but Ainslie, 30, from the Royal Lymington club in the Solent, took it for a fifth time by finishing second in the final medal race that was worth double points, edging out New Zealander Dan Slater by seven points.

Ironically, Ainslie was beaten in the final race by Ed Wright, the former European champion whom Britain's Olympic selectors demanded Ainslie race-off against for his Olympic place in a race in Sydney last month. But Wright finished seventh overall in the ten-race series.

It was Slater and Dutchman Pieter van Postma Ainslie had to beat in the final race. Van Postma was disqualified for beating the gun at the start and Slater had to work his way back into contention from a poor start to finish three places behind Ainslie.

"That's the hardest of my five world titles along with the races in 2003. That went to the wire and so did this. I am obviously delighted but now there's lots of hard work up to China," said Ainslie.

Scott, a former world youth champion in the Laser class who switched to the heaviest single-handed Olympic class last year, led from the first race in the junior division, and ninth place in the final race confirmed his victory.

He was 14th placed overall, confirming his potential to succeed Ainslie who is expected to move to the two-handed Star class in 2012.