QINGDAO, China (AP) -Chinese windsurfer Yin Jian won her country's first-ever sailing gold on Wednesday, while New Zealander Tom Ashley took the most precious medal in the RS:X class for men.

Yin, a silver medalist in Athens four years ago, won gold in the RS:X by the narrowest possible margin, just one point ahead of silver medalist Alessandra Sensini of Italy after 11 races, including the final that counts double. Britain's Bryony Shaw, who won last year's test event in Qingdao, took bronze.

The thousands of Chinese fans on the shore in Qingdao, the sailing venue about 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Beijing, went into a flag waving frenzy when it became clear that Yin's third-place finish in the medal race was enough to claim the gold.

"Is it real? Is it real? Did I really win gold?'' Yin asked after the finish.

"I wanted to make China proud in the Olympics that China is hosting,'' she said before ecstatic teammates tossed her into the water in celebration.

Yin stunned 26 rivals at the start of the 10-race preliminary series by winning three straight. She then had two third-place finishes before she seemed to fall off the pace with sevenths and eighths. In the last preliminary race on Tuesday, Yin proved she was back on top with another win.

"I always tried to maintain a clear mind,'' Yin said about dealing with the pressures when her placings tumbled in the strong winds of some races.

To clinch the gold, Yin needed at least a fourth in the final if her main rival, triple Olympic medalist Sensini, won the medal race. The 38-year-old Italian took an early lead, while Yin was living dangerously in fifth.

Sensini did win the medal race, but Yin fought back to finish third and clinch the gold.

"In the first leg, I felt the gold was already in my pocket because I was first and the Chinese girl was behind,'' said Sensini, who won gold in Sydney in 2000. She also has two bronze medals, from 2004 and 1996. "In the end, I turned around on the last leg and realized that - maybe - Spain had given up.''

Later, Sensini joked that the silver medal completed her Olympic collection. "It was the color I was missing,'' she said.

It was a tough and very physical race, since the light breeze forced their sailors to strenuously pump their masts to create artificial wind. Yin said she concentrated on one thing: "I knew if I kept passing one after another, victory would be mine.''

In the men's race, Julien Bontemps of France was just one point ahead of reigning world champion Ashley and Britain's Nick Dempsey after 10 races leading into Wednesday's final. Ashley finished third in the final to secure the gold, followed by Bontemps, who won the silver.

Dempsey placed seventh in the decisive race to take fourth overall.

"I've done it! It's the most incredible feeling,'' said Ashley. "It was an insanely tough medal race.''

"This is probably the most stressful 10 days of my life,'' said Ashley. But it's been an amazing experience.''

The bronze went to Shahar Zubari of Israel, who came back strong to take second in the medal race behind Hong Kong's Chan King Yin.

Zubari, 21, has been under intense scrutiny in Israel because during his national trials he defeated windsurfer Gal Fridman, who won Israel's first-ever Olympic gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"I feel like a superstar,'' said Zubari. "I think I was under less pressure today, because I was No. 4'' ahead of the medal race.

The Olympic sailing competition is set to conclude on Thursday with medal races in the last two classes, the fast two-man Tornado catamarans and the double-handed Star dingy, whose design dates from 1911 and is the oldest used at the games.

Tornado sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz Blanco of Spain have an overall lead after 10 races and going into the medal race, which counts double. They have a three point lead on Australia's Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby and are eight points ahead of Santiago Lange Carlos Espinola of Argentina.

After 10 races in the Star class, the Swedish pair of Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom has just a two point lead on Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson and are eight points ahead of Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada of Brazil.