Olympics-Sailing-Gold joy for New Zealander Ashley

By Justin Palmer

QINGDAO (Reuters) - New Zealand's Tom Ashley added Olympic windsurfing gold to his world title by pipping Frenchman Julien Bontemps in a nail-biting medal race on Wednesday.

In the decisive contest, Ashley took third with Bontemps just behind in fourth, handing gold to the New Zealander by one point after 11 races.

Bontemps won silver and Israeli Shahar Zubari, selected ahead of compatriot and 2004 Athens gold medallist Gal Fridman, secured bronze.

Ashley, 10th on his Games debut four years ago, was carried aloft on his board up the launching ramp at the Olympic Sailing Centre marina, a New Zealand flag held high above his head.

It is the first Olympic sailing gold for New Zealand since 1992 when Barbara Kendall won windsurfing gold in Barcelona.

Ashley's ability to produce consistent results when racing at either end of the wind range has been his strength at this event where the light air and heavy air specialists fell in the standings when conditions did not suit them.

Bontemps took a one-point lead over the 24-year-old Ashley and Briton Nick Dempsey into Wednesday's showdown. Zubari was the overall leader at the halfway stage of the regatta before a poor run of finishes effectively ended his gold medal hopes.

The 21-year-old Israeli said felt like a "superstar" and, bizarrely, said he had "painted my nails for this event."

"Now I'm going to get drunk," he told reporters.

The RS:X board was used for the first time for both men's and women's windsurfing events at an Olympics. It is wider and shorter with a larger sail than the Mistral board it replaced.

(Editing by Keith Weir and Greg Stutchbury)