China's Yin Jian celebrates after winning RS:X Women at the Olympic Sailing Regatta in Qingdao on Wednesday. [Agencies]

China's sailing team captain Yao Xinpei, who was thrown into water by his excited team members, said Yin Jian's success highlighted the breakthrough of China's sailing.

"It showed the improvement of the overall level of Chinese sailing. Yin Jian proved that she was an all-around mature sailor with a burning desire to win. Today's medal race was really classic and it will be definitely recorded into the history of Chinese sailing," he told Xinhua.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, a small collision with another competitor in the 10th round relegated Yin to a silver medal finish, just two agonizing points shy of a gold medal.

China has already won two Olympic silver medals in windsurfing, with Zhang Xiaodong in Barcelona in 1992 and Yin Jian in Athens in 2004, plus the Laser Radial bronze won by Xu Lijia on Tuesday.

Alessandra Sensini from Italy took the silver medal with 40 points overall and Bryony Shaw from Britain claimed the bronze medal totaling 45 points.