ANNALISE MURPHY IS in medal contention ahead of the final day of the Gold Fleet standard of the Laser Radial World Championships in Melbourne. Starting the day in fifth place in the overall standings, Murphy bounced back from disqualification from the day’s first race by finishing second in races two and three. 

While the gap to first-placed Marit Bouwmeester looks almost insurmountable, the rest of the pack are pretty bunched, with 25 points separating second-placed Line Flem Host and eighth-placed Murphy. 

Murphy finished tenth in the day’s first race but was retrospectively disqualified as she was deemed to have begun the race over the start line. Subsequent second-placed finishes have catapulted her into medal contention, however, ahead of the final day of action tomorrow. Her medal chances are also likely to be strengthened by the fact she will be able to discard her two worst performances across the week, which are currently today’s DQ and a 38th-placed finish earlier in the week.

Murphy’s compatriot Aoife Hopkins, meanwhile, has dropped to 45th place in the overall standings, following 33rd, 43rd and 44th-place finishes today.