`We had two shots at taking the gold today,` said Healy. `We could either wrap it up with a first in either of today's two races or with a second in either race, as long as Brazil was behind us. We were hoping to do it in one race, and we did.` As such, Healy's team retired before the day's second race began. Brazil retired as well, having secured the silver medal, while Chile sailed the second race to take bronze.

USA confidently started near the leeward end of the starting line, while the rest of the fleet stacked up to windward. `We wanted to be on the left side up the whole course because the pressure was there,` said Judson, who serves as the team's tactician. `We also wanted to be to leeward of Brazil and then find a good time to tack and cross the fleet.` Judson credited Healy's ability at the helm for allowing them to foot out quickly from underneath the fleet. `He is just so good at getting the boat to go fast, and everybody on the team does such a good job of communicating.` The U.S.A. led around the course, putting another boat between itself and Brazil.

`I think I can speak for the entire J/24 team that this was an awesome experience,` said Healy. `We are used to sailing on our own, so we enjoyed every aspect of being with the other sailors, coaches and support staff and representing the U.S.A. this way.`

Yesterday, the U.S.A. won its first medal -- also a gold -- when Mistral Women's sailor Lanee Butler (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) turned in two race victories to make it mathematically impossible for anyone to catch her in today's finals. Having secured the gold, Butler sat out today's races. Canada and Argentina took silver and bronze, respectively.

`Twenty five percent of our events yielded gold medals, and all of our team members had significant moments of glory,` said Team Leader Fred Hagedorn (Chicago, Ill.).

For Snipe sailors Henry Filter (Stevensville, Md) and Lisa Griffith (San Diego, Calif./Phillipsburg, N.J.), those moments of glory happened at the end of the regatta. Going into today sixth overall, Filter and Griffith won both of their final races, knocking off both Argentina and Canada in the overall scoring to move up to fourth. `We weren't even thinking about Argentina, which yesterday was in fourth,` said Filter. `We just knew that Canada had one point on us for fifth yesterday, and it was who beat whom for finishing fifth overall today.` Filter, allowing that Brazil and Cuba, which ultimately took gold and silver medals, were busy match racing each other for their podium positions, felt good about his team's performance nevertheless. `We finally had the conditions we're fast in: 15-16 knots, which is a step up from what it had been on our course,` said Filter. Taking the bronze medal in this class was Uruguay.

After Brazil clinched the Laser gold yesterday, Canada and Chile turned in silver- and bronze-worthy performances today. Ben Richardson (Gloucester, Mass.) maintained his fifth-place finish with a 5-3 today. `I'm disappointed because I beat both the silver and bronze medallists at the Spa Regatta this year,` said Richardson. `That's the way it goes: one regatta it's one way, another regatta it's another way.`

Laser Radial sailor Sally Barkow (Pine Lake, Wisc.) again showed great upwind speed in both races today, rounding the top marks in second. Still hexed with her downwind speed, however, she slipped to finish 4-3 and secured a fifth overall. `This was a cool experience being with all different athletes instead of just sailors,` said Barkow, who hopes to win the U.S.A.'s Olympic Team Trials in the Yngling and have the Olympic experience for real in 2004. `It also got me better prepared for my Trials, because I will be sailing in a small fleet at those, too.` Mexico secured the gold medal yesterday and Canada and Argentina claimed silver and bronze medals today.

For Sunfish sailor Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.) a sixth-place finish overall was his final posting after finishes of 6-4 today. `I just wish it blew and there were waves like this at home. Then I would have been more prepared,` said Linton. `I've sailed here before and it never blew like this; I expected it to be light.` Venezuela claimed the gold yesterday, with Bermuda and Dominican Republic fighting successfully today for silver and bronze.

Hobie 16 sailors Paul and Mary Ann Hess (Napa, Calif.) finished 6-7 today for a sixth overall, while Puerto Rico, Mexico and Guatemala made their final plays for gold, silver and bronze respectively. `The competition was as stiff as we had anticipated,` said Mary Ann Hess. `We basically sail at the amateur level, and the others here are world champions, so it was hard for us, but we had fun.`

Peter Wells (Newport Beach, Calif.) sailed a single final race in the Mistral Men's class today, finishing fourth and securing sixth overall for the regatta. `I learned some important lessons here,` said Wells, who is gunning for the Olympics and struggled here with getting his new board up to speed, `and relearned some lessons I already knew. They will help me.` Brazil, Argentina and Canada took the top-three medal positions.

Medal ceremonies will take place tomorrow at 1600. The Pan American Games, held every four years since their inception in 1951, are always held the summer preceding the Olympic Games and are attended by athletes from 42 nations in North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean who compete in 288 events across 36 sports. The event showcases all 28 Olympic sports and eight non-Olympic events.

Day Seven RESULTS Top-Three and U.S.

Hobie 16 Open (9 boats)
1. E. Figueroa, PUR, (2)-(2)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1; 10
2. A. Noriega, MEX, (7)-1-4-2-2-3-4-2-(5)-2-2-2; 24
3. JI Maegli, GUA, 3-3-2-3-4-(5)-3-3-2-4-(5)-3; 30
6. Paul/Mary Ann Hess, USA, 5-6-3-6-5-4-(8)-(8)-8-7-6-7; 57

J/24 Open (11 boats)
1. Tim Healy/Davenport Crocker/Gordon Borges,/Nick Judson, USA,
1-2-1-3-(5)-1-2-1-4-2-1-(12); 18
1. M. Santa Cruz, BRA, 2-1-2-1-1-(7)-3-2-3-4-3-(12); 22
3. A. Gonzalez, CHI, 7-3-(11)-4-3-2-4-(12)-1-10-4-4; 42

Laser Male (15 boats)
1. Robert Scheidt, BRA, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-(16)-(16); 10
2. B. Luttmer, CAN, 3-(5)-2-3-3-3-2-5-2-(6)-1-1; 25
3. M. del Solar, CHI, 4-4-(16)-2-2-(5)-5-2-4-2-2-2; 29
5. Ben Richardson, USA, 5-3-5-6-5-(11)-(14)-4-6-9-5-3; 51

Laser Radial Female (11 boats)
1. T.E. Calles, MEX, 1-1-3-1-1-2-3-1-2-1-(12)-(12); 16
2. K. Rasa, CAN, 2-3-1-(6)-4-(5)-2-3-1-4-3-1; 24
3. F. Cerntti, ARG, 3-5-2-3-2-(6)-1-2-4-(6)-2-2; 26
5. Sally Barkow, USA, 4-4-(6)-4-3-4-6-5-3-(8)-4-3; 40

Mistral Male (10 boats)
1. R. Santos, BRA, (3)-(3)-2-2-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-1; 13
2. M. Galvan, ARG, (2)-1-1-1-2-1-2-2-2-2-2-(11); 16
3. K. Stittle, CAN, 1-2-3-6-4-3-4-3-5-4-(11)-(11); 35
6. Peter Wells, USA, (7)-6-5-4-3-6-5-7-6-(11)-5-4; 51

Mistral Female (7 boats)
1. Lanee Butler, USA, 2-1-1-1-1-3-1-1-1-1-(8)-(8); 12
2. D. Vallee, CAN, 1-3-3-3-(4)-4-3-2-2-(4)-1-2; 24
3. C. Walther, ARG, (5)-2-5-2-3-(DSQ)-2-3-5-2-3-3; 30

Snipe Open (8 boats)
1. B. Amorim, BRA, 1-(3)-1-(3)-1-1-2-2-2-3-3-3; 19
2. N. Manso, CUB, 3-1-2-2-2-(7)-3-1-1-2-(5)-2; 19
3. S. Silveira, URU, 2-4-3-1-(6)-4-1-(7)-4-1-2-5; 27
4. Henry Filter/Lisa Griffith, USA, (6)-6-(7)-4-4-6-4-5-5-6-1-1; 42

Sunfish Open (11 boats)
1. E. Cordero, VEN, 1-5-1-1-1-3-2-1-1-5-(12)-(12); 21
2. M. Smith, BER, 2-3-2-(7)-6-(7)-4-3-3-1-1-1; 26
3. R. Aguayo, DOM, 5-6-3-5-2-1-6-5-2-(9)-4-2; 35
6. Jeff Linton, USA, 3-8-7-6-7-8-9-2-(12)-3-6-4; 54

Source: US Sailing - Jan Harley