Australian sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen admit they must cut mistakes for their title defence at the Rio Olympics after their New Zealand rivals dominated another 49er world championships.
Outteridge and Jensen went into the medal race in second place overall but faded to sixth while Kiwis Peter Burling and Blair Tuke triumphed in Clearwater, Florida on Monday (AEDT).
"We had an up and down qualifying, one really good day and one wasn't the level we need to be to be at the front of this fleet," Outteridge said.
"This is not really what were looking for, we need to do better and we can't make mistakes like we are."
Burling and Tuke dominated the event, wrapping up the title before the final race to maintain their dominance of the event going back to 2013.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
In the Nacra 17, Australia's world No.1 pair Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin finished third in the final, leaving them in fifth place overall.
"We had one really costly day and a few costly races, which was disappointing, but in the end we're training for a gold medal in Rio and we've learnt a lot of lessons this week," Darmanin said.
Tess Lloyd and Caitlin Elks were Australia's best performers in the 49er FX, finishing 14th, ahead of fellow Australians Olivia Price and Elize Solly in 16th.
Haylee Outteridge and Nina Curtis finished in 24th, with all three crews competing for one Olympic qualifying spot over the next few months.
