Indian sailors Malav Shroff and Sumeet Patel again came up with a dismal show in the 49er (double handed dinghy open) in the sixth race at the Olympic Games regatta in Athens on Friday.

Shroff and Patel were languishing at the bottom of the 19-strong fleet after finishing last in the sixth race at the Agios Kosmas Sailing Centre.

The Indian pair has finished no higher than 17th in the races held so far and have accumulated a huge tally of 106 penalty points. Even after discarding their worst performance so far, the points tally is so far behind the leading bunch that it would be a miracle if they finish among the top three after the 16-race contest.

In race six, the Indians and the Australians Chris Nicholson and Gary Boyd fought a bitter battle to avoid taking the wooden spoon over the last two marks.

The race was won by Frenchmen Marc Audineau and Stephane Christidis after leading from start to finish, their maiden win in the regatta.

The Japanese duo of Kinji Nakamura and Masato Takaki were second, followed by Andre Fonseca and Rodrigo Duarte of Brazil in third position.

Norwegians Christopher Sundby and Frode Bovim, who finished fourth, were the overall leaders with 23 net penalty points after a discard, while Fonseca and Duarte were breathing down their neck in second place, accumulating 25 net penalty points.

The wind speed for the sixth race ranged from 8 to 10 knots, with a clear sky and warm conditions welcoming the sailors.