Australian sailors bag world champs bronze

Australian sailors Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have had to settle for a bronze medal at the Nacra 17 class world championships in Auckland after failing to fire in the medal race.

The Rio Olympic silver medallists finished last in the 10-boat race for gold, having missed the best wind shifts after the start in choppy conditions and trailing the fleet around the top mark.

They couldn't make headway for the remainder of the race, leaving Italians Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari to claim god in the mixed multi-hull class. Silver went to Danish crew Lin Cenholt and CP Lubeck.

No Australians qualified for medal races in the two other Olympic classes staging their world championships concurrently in Auckland - the men's 49er and women's 49erFX.

Brothers William and Sam Phillips came closest, ranked 16th in the 49er.

That class was won by Kiwi Olympic greats Peter Burling and Blair Tuke while the 49erFX honours went to Dutch pair Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz.