Portland sailors Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell win gold in Tokyo

Portland's Stuart Bithell and Dylan Fletcher have claimed gold in the men’s 49er at the Tokyo Olympics.

The pair went into the final medal race, where double points are awarded, in second, four points behind New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, but victory for Bithell and Fletcher and third for New Zealand saw them claim the title.

Fletcher and Bithell’s biggest obstacle turned out to be Germany but, having taken the final turn in second, the British pair just edged over the finish line in front.

Fletcher and Bithell were rivals before deciding to team up in a bid to qualify for Tokyo.

The decision brought immediate dividends as they won European and world titles, and now the biggest prize of all.

The medal race was postponed from Monday, when a lack of wind forced racing to be cancelled for the day, and it was nip and tuck throughout a hugely exciting race.

Fletcher’s fiancee, Charlotte Dobson, and her crewmate Saskia Tidey missed out on a medal in the women’s 49er FX earlier, coming seventh in the medal race and sixth overall.