Two Person Dinghy (470), Men

The 2016 gold medal had been won by Croatia, with Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić, but they did not compete in this event at Tokyo. The top ranked boat in the last year had been helmed by the Spaniards, Jordi Xammar and Nicolás Rodríguez, but the dominant crew in the last 10 years had been led by Mathew Belcher of Australia. Belcher had been World Champion in 2010-12 and Olympic Champion in 2012, alongside Malcolm Page, but had since been joined by Will Ryan, with whom he won the Worlds in 2015, 2017, and 2019.

Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergström won the opening race, with Belcher and Ryan second. In race two Xammar and Rodríguez won while Belcher/Ryan finished fifth, but that was enough to move into the lead as Dahlberg and Bergström placed 15th, as they had to take several penalty turns on the first leg.

Australia would never be headed, leading after every subsequent race. Entering the medal race, Australia and Sweden had both won three races, but Australia’s lead was enough to guarantee it the gold medal. However, Belcher and Ryan made no suspense of it as they also won the medal race. Dalhberg/Bergström held on to win silver while Xammar and Rodríguez took bronze.

This was the fourth victory in the men’s 470 event for Australia, and the third for Mathew Belcher, as they had been the dominant nation in 470 Class sailing. This was also Australia’s fifth medal in the event, including Belcher and Ryan’s silver in 2016. With his gold medal Belcher became only the 10th Olympic sailor to win two golds and three medals in the same event. Belcher and Ryan had one of the most consistent performances in Tokyo sailing, dropping an eighth place as their discard.

Men and women had raced 470 Class since the 1988 Seoul Olympics but this would be the last time for both events, as they would be merged into a mixed two-person dinghy class (470) at the Paris Olympics in 2024.