Bryony Shaw has won Great Britain’s first ever women’s windsurfing medal. She won bronze at Qingdao today.

Shaw knew a top three finish in the double points medal race would guarantee her a medal at her first ever Olympic Games.

Speaking immediately after the race she Shaw said: “I’m just so, so happy, it was such a tough race and has been such a tough week and I’m just so happy, it’s the best thing in the World.

“I just went out to sail as fast as I could and well done to the Chinese and Italian girls, that was really, really tough racing right until the end.

Shaw’s is Britain’s fifth sailing medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with Ben Ainslie (Finn) and Yngling trio Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson winning gold on Sunday, Paul Goodison taking the top Laser prize yesterday and Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield clinching 470 men’s silver on Monday.

However, there was bitter disappointment for windsurfer Nick Dempsey who started the day in silver medal position but agonisingly slipped to fourth overall in the men’s event.

The last two classes contest their medal races tomorrow, with Star duo Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson in a strong position to add final day silverware to the British haul. Percy and Simpson lie in second place overall two points behind Sweden’s Fredik Loof and Anders Ekstrom having picked up 1,2,6 from their three races today. Meanwhile Leigh McMillan and Will Howden qualify for the Tornado medal race ninth overall having scored 2, 3, 12 today.

Meanwhile the Royal Lymington YC is celebrating the success of its members – Ben Ainslie, Pippa Wilson and Nick Rogers are all members of the club, and have netted two golds and one silver medal between them in Qingdao. Commodore Geoff Holmes said “Lymington can be really proud of these great sailors and athletes. Members feel privileged to be in the same Club as them. They are a great example to our young sailors and we are especially proud that Nick and Pippa have been sailing in Lymington most of their lives and graduated from our Wednesday Sailing Community Training programme. Everyone in the Club, especially those who played a part in the programme can take pride in the medals won by these great sailors.”