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Mexico's Tania ELIAS CALLES moves to the top of the Laser Radial Rankings after an impressive performance in at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta in Australia. ELIAS CALLES is the first Mexican to hold the world #1 spot, and next year will be aiming to become the first-ever Mexican to win an Olympic medal in the sailing events.

Across the other ten Olympic events the leaders hold on to their world #1 spots, so Australia retain their three Ranking leaders. However it is Spain who top the national standings. Marina ALABAU (ESP) in the Women's RS:X maybe the only Spanish leader, but they also hold two second places (in the Tornado and 49er) and one third (in the Men's RS:X). Behind the Spanish, as well as Australia, Poland, Great Britain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands all hold three top-three places, whilst the USA and France both have two. However, with a flurry of World Championship titles early next year, the national battle is still wide open before the Olympic Games get underway in Qingdao, China next August. It promises to be a fascinating 2008 in the Olympic Classes…

The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will next be on 6 February 2008, including results from the 49er World Championship, RS:X World Championship, Finn Gold Cup, 470 World Championships and the Rolex Miami OCR.

Men's Windsurfer - RS:X

It's as you were in the Men's RS:X Rankings, with the top ten unchanged leaving Poland's Przemyslaw MIARCZYNSKI in the world #1 spot. MIARCZYNSKI has had an outstanding year on the RS:X, finishing first or second in all but one of the regattas he has entered and holding the top spot in the Rankings since the end of May. However MIARCZYNSKI did miss out on the 2007 Olympic Test Event in Qingdao, with his team mate Piotr MYSZKA (POL) taking the Polish slot. MYSZKA keeps his world #4 ranking in this release and the tussle between the two Polish rivals will be one of the battles to watch in the RS:X fleet next year.

Separating MIARCZYNSKI and MYSZKA, Joao RODRIGUES (POR) and Ivan PASTOR LAFUENTE (ESP) are unmoved at #2 and #3 respectively, as is the rest of the world top ten. However an early indicator of form going into next year's RS:X Worlds in New Zealand, came at the Kiwi nationals, where world #9 Tom ASHLEY (NZL) took the honours. ASHLEY got the better of a close fight with home favourite Yuan Guo ZHOU (CHN) to win this year's Olympic Test Event, and will be looking to improve on the disappointing 15th he scored at the 2007 Worlds.

Also impressing at the Kiwi nationals were world #12 Julien BONTEMPS (FRA) and 2006 World Champion Casper BOUMAN (NED) who finished second and third respectively. 1996 Olympic gold medallist Nikolas KAKLAMANAKIS (GRE) came in seventh to move up one place to #25 in this Ranking release.

Women's Windsurfer - RS:X

Marina ALABAU (ESP) makes it ten straight Ranking releases in the world #1 spot, with no one able to match the Spaniards consistent finishing this year. The rest of the world top ten is also unchanged, leaving World Champion Zofia KLEPACKA (POL) at #2 and Romy KINZL (GER) at #3.

The main action in the RS:X fleet in this Ranking period came at the ISAF Grade 3 New Zealand Nationals in Auckland. There Barbara KENDALL (NZL) scored a tightly contested victory over her long-time rival Alessandra SENSINI (ITA) to take the honours. Whilst KENDALL and SENSINI both remain unmoved in their Ranking positions of #12 and #14 respectively, victory in Auckland is a timely boost ahead of next year's RS:X Worlds.

At the end of 2007, two years after the RS:X made its debut as an Olympic Class, the Women's RS:X Rankings features an impressive 101 sailors from 29 nations.

Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser

World Champion Tom SLINGSBY (AUS) ends the year in the world #1 spot after a strong comeback to take second place at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta. Behind SLINGSBY, Paul GOODISON (GBR) and Matias DEL SOLAR (CHI) remain at #2 and #3 respectively in an unchanged world top three.

World Championship silver medallist Andrew MURDOCH (NZL) gains one place up to #4 after finishing in fourth place in Sydney, whilst regatta winner Michael LEIGH (CAN) also moves up one place to #5. Estonia's Deniss KARPAK, bronze medallist at this year's Worlds, climbs up two places to end the year with his best-ever World Ranking at #8 on the back of a 12th place finish in Sydney.

Further down the Rankings, 20 year old Rutger VAN SCHAARDENBURG (NED) moves up from #56 to #47 after a fantastic run of four event victories, capped with an impressive win at the ISAF Grade 2 Sail Brisbane. Another rising star, Korea's Jeemin HA, who finished fifth at this year's Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, also moves up to a Ranking-best of #79 (up from #135) after a second place finish in Brisbane. 2004 Olympic silver medallist Andreas GERITZER (AUT) was also in impressive form, winning the ISAF Grade 3 Canarian Sailing Week. He currently lies at #32 in the Rankings.

Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial

Tania ELIAS CALLES (MEX) ends the year in style by hitting the world #1 spot in the Laser Radial Rankings. The 28 year old's second place at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta pushes her up two places and above long-time leader Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA). Evi VAN ACKER (BEL) was not at her best in Sydney and drops down one place to #3.

With the Laser Radial fleet perhaps the most unpredictable of all the Olympic Classes, ELIAS CALLES has stood out over the past couple of seasons for her consistent performances. Whilst she may not be able to match the event wins of TUNNICLIFFE and VAN ACKER, she has rarely been out of the running at the top events, her second-place finish at Sydney the perfect example.

Behind the top three, Katarzyna SZOTYNSKA (POL) moves up one place to her best-ever Ranking of #4, whilst Jo ALEH, third in Sydney, climbs two places to #5. Sarah BLANCK (AUS) repeated her 2006 win in Sydney to move up three places and end the year at #6. Also celebrating victory this month was World Championship silver medallist Sari MULTALA (FIN), who won the ISAF Grade 3 Canarian Sailing Week. She ends 2007 in the world #10 spot. A little further back 2006 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion Tina MIHELIÆ (CRO) moves up nine places to a career-best Ranking of #16 after finishing fifth in Sydney.

Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470

It's no surprise to see World Champions Nathan WILMOT and Malcolm PAGE close out the year on top of the Men's 470 Rankings after the Aussie pairing recorded their fourth consecutive victory at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta. WILMOT and PAGE had some uncharacteristically poor finishes early on in the European season, but since the ISAF Sailing World Championships in July have been in unstoppable form. They dominated in Cascais to take their third World title in four years and followed that up with victory at the Olympic Test Event in Qingdao. They have topped the Rankings since their World title win in July and without doubt will be the team to beat in 2008.

Behind the Aussie pairing, Sven COSTER and Kalle COSTER (NED) move up one place to end the year at #2, equalling their best-ever Ranking performance. The Dutch brothers came in third in Sydney and won the ISAF Grade 3 Dutch Sailing Championships in October. Gideon KLIGER and Udi GAL (ISR) fall back one place to #3, whilst the other move in the world top ten sees Benjamin BONNAUD and Romain BONNAUD (FRA) leapfrog their team mates Nicolas CHARBONNIER and Olivier BAUSSET after a silver medal performance in Sydney.

A little further back Kiwi youngsters Carl EVANS and Peter BURLING (NZL) continue their rapid rise up the Rankings. The double 420 World Champions beat some far more experienced names to finish sixth in Sydney and consequently climb into the world top 50 for the first time at #46.

Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470

There's no shifting Guilia CONTI and Giovanna MICOL (ITA) from the top spot in the Women's 470 Rankings, with the young Italian duo holding on to their world #1 status for the fourth consecutive release. However, Ingrid PETITJEAN and Nadege DOUROUX (FRA) have moved up one place to #2 and closed the gap on the leaders to just a few points after victory at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta. Triple World Champions Marcelien DE KONING and Lobke BERKHOUT (NED) complete the world top three.

Behind the leading trio there are several movers at the top of the Rankings. Amanda CLARK and Sarah MERGENTHALER (USA) gain two places up to #5 after a fourth place finish in Sydney, whilst Yuka YOSHISAKO and Noriko OKUMA (JPN), fifth in Sydney, move up four places to enter the world top ten for the first time at #9.

Outside of the top ten, the young Swiss team of Emmanuelle ROL and Anne-Sophie THILO (SUI) move up from #24 to a career-best #19 after a third place finish on Sydney Harbour. Nike KORNECKI and Vered BUSKILA (ISR) pushed the French team all the way before eventually finishing second in Sydney, consequently they move up eight places to #26. Singapore's Liying TOH and Deborah ONG are another team on the rise after a strong finish in Sydney. They gain 12 places up to #31.

Skiff - 49er

Germany's Jan-Peter PECKOLT and Hannes PECKOLT hold on to the world #1 position to end the year top of the 49er Rankings. Whilst the German crew have only reached the top of the podium once over the two-year Ranking period (at the 2005 Semaine Olympique Francaise), a string of solid performances in the big regattas puts them firmly in the top spot.

Reigning Olympic Champions Iker MARTINEZ and Xabier FERNANDEZ (ESP) and Italian brothers Pietro SIBELLO and Gianfranco SIBELLO are also unmoved at #2 and #3 respectively. Just behind them World Champions and Olympic Test Event winners Stephen MORRISON and Ben RHODES (GBR) climb two places to #4.

The main movers in this release are Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ben AUSTIN (AUS), who gain four places up to #5. The young and talented Aussie pairing - who between them count four ISAF Youth World titles - won their third straight title at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta together with the ISAF Grade 2 Australian 49er Championship to end the year with a flourish and enter the world top five for the first time. Over the past two years the Australian pairing have gone from class debutants to World Championship bronze medallists, and are now serious contenders for Olympic medals in Qingdao next year.

Heavyweight Dinghy - Finn

Jonas HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN (DEN) completes a calendar year at the world #1 spot in the Finn Rankings, but the big news in the Finn fleet is the return to action of reigning Olympic Champion Ben AINSLIE (GBR). HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN, the 2006 World Champion, has been the most consistent performer in AINSLIE's absence, but was powerless to stop the Brit as he sailed to six bullets and a 17-point winning margin at the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta. For the time being, HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN's world #1 spot looks safe, but AINSLIE's win on Sydney Harbour combined with victory at the ISAF Grade 3 Go For Gold Regatta in Melbourne moves him up from #104 to #75 in this Ranking release.

Behind HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN, Pieter-Jan POSTMA (NED) stays at #2, whilst AINSLIE's rival for Olympic selection, Ed WRIGHT (GBR) moves up two places to #3 after finishing fifth in Sydney. Reigning World Champion Rafa TRUJILLO (ESP) is also on the rise, gaining five places to #8 after he finished third in Sydney and fifth in Melbourne.

Together with WRIGHT and AINSLIE, is Giles SCOTT another Brit who makes gains in this Rankings release. After winning the 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in the Laser and finishing seventh at the 2006 Laser Worlds, SCOTT transferred to the Finn this year. He has already posted some impressive results, and came in ahead of WRIGHT in fourth overall in Sydney, helping him up from #48 to #40 in this Ranking release.

Multihull - Tornado

Darren BUNDOCK and Glenn ASHBY (AUS) end 2007 in the world #1 spot, a position they have claimed sole occupation of since the first Ranking release of the year back in February. Although the Aussie pairing failed to repeat their World title triumph of 2006, they have been by far the most consistent performers on the Tornado circuit, claiming top five finishes at every regatta they've entered this year. They finished the year in style by blitzing the competition on Sydney Harbour to win the Sydney International Regatta.

Like the Aussies, Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ (ESP) have been unmoved in the world #2 spot all year long. The Spanish duo have had a more up and down season than their Australian rivals, but highlighted their year by taking the gold medal at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, their second World Championship title in three years.

The French pairing of Xavier REVIL and Christophe ESPAGNON move up one place in this Ranking release to end the year in the world #3 spot. Otherwise the world top ten is relatively stable in this release, the only other significant change seeing Canada's Oskar JOHANSSON and Kevin STITTLE climb two places to #9 on the back of a fourth place finish at the ISAF Grade 2 Sydney International Regatta.

Women's Keelboat - Yngling

Sarah AYTON, Sarah WEBB and Pippa WILSON (GBR) end the year top of the Yngling Rankings, just ahead of their arch rivals Sally BARKOW, Debbie CAPOZZI and Carrie HOWE (USA). These two teams have dominated the Yngling circuit this year, and look set to be the leading challengers in Qingdao next year.

AYTON and her team have finished on the podium at every single regatta they've entered this year and proven their ability to rise to the occasion when it counts, winning both the ISAF Sailing World Championships and the Olympic Test Event with assured performances in the Medal Race. In contrast, BARKOW had the better of her British rival early in the season, winning in Miami and Palma, but since then has been next-best behind AYTON.

The German team of Ulrike SCHUEMANN, Julia BLECK and Ute HOEPFNER stay at #3, in fact the rest of the top ten is unchanged in this Ranking release. Looking ahead to 2008, the Yngling fleet is focussed on Miami, USA, where the 2008 Worlds will decide the final four nations to qualify for the Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao.

Men's Keelboat - Star

Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ and Dominik ZYCKI (POL) will enter 2008 at the top of the Star Rankings, after a second place finish at the ISAF Grade 3 Star Rio de Janeiro Championship keeps them secure in the world #1 spot. Although the Polish pair have failed to score overall victory in any of their ISAF Graded events this year, they have never been far from the top spot and stay at the Rankings summit for the second consecutive release.

Behind them the Italian team of Diego NEGRI and Luigi VIALE climb up three places to a career-best Ranking of #2, whilst Fredrik LOOF and Anders EKSTROM (SWE) remain unchanged at #3. Reigning World Champions Robert SCHEIDT and Bruno PRADA (BRA) ended the year with a victory ahead of KUSZNIEREWICZ and ZYCKI in Rio, but actually fall back one place to #5 (mainly because they did not compete at this year's Europeans). Their win in Rio was their fifth of a remarkable season in the class and made them early favourites for Olympic glory in Qingdao. First however they must overcome reigning Olympic Champions Torben GRAEL and Marcelo FERREIRA (BRA) in the Brazilian trials.

Just behind SCHEDIT and PRADA, Afonso DOMINGOS and Bernardo SANTOS (POR) move up two places to #6, their best Ranking since 2002. A little further back Robert STANJEK and Markus KOY (GER) gain four places up to their best-ever Ranking of #11 following a sixth place finish at the ISAF Grade 3 Audi Chiemsee Champions Week. Event winner Philipp ROTERMUND (GER) gains one place up to #55.

Click on the links below to view the latest Rankings or go to the ISAF Events & World Rankings homepage - www.sailing.org/events.

470 - Men's Two Person Dinghy - www.sailing.org/470mRankings
470 - Women's Two Person Dinghy - www.sailing.org/470wRankings
49er - Skiff - www.sailing.org/49erRankings
Finn - Heavyweight Dinghy - www.sailing.org/FinnRankings
Laser - Men's One Person Dinghy - www.sailing.org/LaserRankings
Laser Radial - Women's One Person Dinghy - www.sailing.org/RadialRankings
RS:X - Men's Windsurfer - www.sailing.org/RSXmRankings
RS:X - Women's Windsurfer - www.sailing.org/RSXwRankings
Star - Men's Keelboat - www.sailing.org/StarRankings
Tornado - Multihull - www.sailing.org/TornadoRankings
Yngling - Women's Keelboat - www.sailing.org/YnglingRankings

The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will next be on 6 February 2008, including results from the 49er World Championship, RS:X World Championship, Finn Gold Cup, 470 World Championships and the Rolex Miami OCR.

ISAF World Sailing Rankings - www.sailing.org/rankings