Finn Lynch held his nerve in challenging winds on the Bay of Palma to secure a strong position going into the Medal Race final on Saturday morning at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Mallorca, the first major event in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympics.
The Carlow sailor won the opening race of the day after battling Britain's Michael Beckett, who nevertheless secured gold with a day to spare.
But Lynch's performance included an eighth in the afternoon, good enough to propel him from fourth to second overall overnight.
The Team Ireland Olympian now has a strong chance of winning a medal with just four sailors of the nine remaining finalists capable of claiming either silver or bronze.
And there was a happy ending to the series for up-and-coming rival to Lynch for the LA Olympics, as Howth's Ewan McMahon ended the ten-race series with a win to finish 13th overall, narrowly missing a place in the medal race final.
