THE OLYMPIC dreams of two of the South's top sailors were finally realised today when Ben Ainslie and Shirley Robertson claimed gold medals in Sydney after a heart-stopping last day's racing.

But Ainslie, the sailing phenomenon from Lymington, was forced to wait for confirmation of his medal as a water collision between him and Brazilian rival Robert Scheidt led to a protest being lodged to upset Britain's medal hopes.

While Ainslie, 23, had an agonising wait, Robertson's celebrations got under way to end an exhausting ten years of hard work, preparation and sacrifice.

Neither her parents nor her boyfriend were able to make the trip to Australia to watch her climb the medal rostrum for the first time in three Olympic attempts.

In Atlanta in 1996, Robertson came close to a medal but eventually came fourth, making her determined to come back to Sydney to complete unfinished business.

"I am still waiting for it to sink in,'' said Robertson, who earlier this year moved from Hill Head to Cowes, Isle of Wight.

"But I am chuffed to bits. Four years ago I came fourth and was absolutely devastated. Now it is tremendous. I am pretty amazed. I have been sailing these little boats for ten years and it is great to have won gold.''

She put in the performance of her life to secure the top prize in the Europe class though faltered in the penultimate race this morning by finishing in 18th place, giving her long-standing rival Dutchwoman Margriet Matthysse a chance of an eleventh hour snatch.

But despite doubts over her temperament which have seen her bottle it in high pressured situations, Robertson showed a new found confidence, digging her heels in to cross the finishing line in third place to become the first woman in Britain to win an Olympic gold for sailing.

There were no such doubts about Ainslie who has been on course for two years to win a gold at Sydney after achieving a silver in Atlanta. From the early days, before moving to Lymington from Falmouth in Cornwall, Ainslie was an especially gifted eight year-old and turned into a teenage phenomenon.

He has won just about everything there is to win in world dinghy racing and last year, supported by his parents Ron and Sue, who bought him his first boat and funded his early racing by selling their house, Ainslie was crowned 1999 Yachtsman of the Year

One of the most popular members of Team Great Britain, Ainslie, once dubbed the Clark Kent of Lymington, has also won friends around the world for his warm and unassuming personality though on the water, he is as ruthless as a bulldog in his battle for success.

Ainslie was predicted to win a gold medal in these Olympics as one of three medals targetted by the Royal Yachting Association in Eastleigh, who in the past four years have attracted more than £6 million to help Britain's sailors turn semi-professional.

With Hamble skipper Ian Barker winning silver in the 49er class earlier this week and another two local sailors Iain Percy and Ian Walker in gold winning positions, Britain could produce their best year ever in sailing with four gold medals in the bag.

Tomorrow will be an emotional day for Walker, another Hamble yachtsman and his crew Mark Covell. Four years ago Walker won silver in the 470 class with his mate John Merricks, but tragically, a year later Merricks died in a car accident creating shockwaves throughout the south coast yachting fraternity.

Covell also lost his sailing partner Glynn Charles after the Hampshire yachtsman was lost overboard in the Sydney to Hobart race in 1998. It was at Charles' memorial service that Covell and Walker got together and decided to team up with outstanding results.

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