Shaw battles for bronze but it's no luck for Nick

But there was disappointment at Quingdao for team-mate Nick Dempsey, who missed out on a medal despite being in the runners-up position overnight.

Shaw, 25, from Wandsworth finished second in her medal race leaving her third overall behind China's first sailing gold medallist, Yin Jian, and Italy's Alessandra Sensini.

Shaw was in third place going into today's race and needed one of the top two to collapse in order to move up the rankings.

However, 38-year-old Sensini used all her experience in sunny conditions to win this morning's event, while Yin did enough for gold by finishing third.

In a dramatic final contest, Shaw flirted with disaster when she was over the line at the start and risked disqualification, but so were several other competitors, leading to a general recall.

It was better news for Shaw second time around and the winner of last year's Olympic test event led briefly before reaching the first mark in second place behind Spain's Marina Alabau.

Shaw remained second at the second mark and took the lead at the third, although a sluggish turn allowed Sensini to move ahead as they neared the finish.

There was one further moment of drama before the end when Shaw and Alabau touched at one of the buoys. Fortunately for the Briton, it was the Spaniard who was penalised with a penalty turn for not yielding the right of way.

Sensini pulled away on the run to the finish line but Shaw hung on for second. She said: "I'm just so happy [with the medal]. I would like to thank everyone for supporting me.

"It was such a hard race and such a hard week, and I'm just so happy - it's the best thing in the world."

Shaw's bronze takes Britain's total medal haul from the regatta to five, following golds for Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb, Pippa Wilson in the Yngling class, Ben Ainslie in the Finn, Paul Goodison in the Laser and a silver in the 470 for Joe Glanfield and Nick Rogers.

Athens bronze medallist Dempsey had been well placed to extend that record in the men's RS:X windsurfing having been in second place going into today's medal race.

But a disastrous finish of seventh in the race where points count double saw the Weymouth athlete, 28, drop to fourth overall.

Tom Ashley of New Zealand won gold ahead of overnight leader Julien Bontemps of France.

A second-place finish today by Israel's Shahar Zubari saw him snatch bronze from Dempsey.