Bouwmeester makes Olympic history following dinghy gold medal

Marit Bouwmeester made history at the Paris Games after she became the most decorated female in Olympic sailing following her triumph in the women's dinghy event.

Bouwmeester has now overtaken Great Britain's Hannah Mills, who won three Olympic medals between 2012 and 2020.

The 36-year-old won silver in this class of sailing in London in 2012, earning her first gold medal in Rio before earning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.

Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindom, who won gold in Tokyo three years ago, settled for silver this time around, with Norway's Line Flem Hoest taking the final podium place.

OFFICIEEL Zeilster Marit Bouwmeester mag zich nu écht olympisch kampioen noemen Zojuist heeft de medal race plaatsgevonden en is het zeiltoernooi voor de ILCA 6-klasse nu afgerond. Een icoon in de sport #TeamNL | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/3dxK89mNLQ

— TeamNL (@TeamNLtweets) August 7, 2024

"It's nice to finally finish it off - it hasn't sunk in yet," Bouwmeester said.

"I have so much respect for Line and Anne-Marie, we push each other all the way."

Australia's reigning Olympic champion Matt Wearn grabbed gold in the men's dinghy, with Pavlos Kontides of Cyrpus picking up his second silver.

Stefano Peschiera ended Peru's 32-year wait for a medal with his bronze medal finish, while Team GB's Michael Beckett ended the final in 10th.