BERMUDA'S Malcolm Smith pushed hard to win his fourth Sunfish World title yesterday but he and the rest of the 70-boat field could not match the spectacular sailing of American Olympic gold medal winner Paul Foerster who won the title in the waters of Lake Erie. After all 12 races were completed yesterday Smith finished in fourth place.

But such was Foerster's dominance that he elected not to sail the final race of the regatta.

Smith was going for his fourth World title this week at the championships which were being sailed out of the Buffalo Canoe Club at Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada. The Bermudian sailor had previously won the Worlds in 1994, 1998 and again in 2000.

Last year he came ever so close to winning another title when he finished second.

With 12 races being sailed on Lake Erie this week, the sailors could throw out their two worst results.

Smith managed finishes of 20, 1, 7, 5, 4, 30, 19, 5, 5, 5, 9 and 3. The 20th and 30th place finishes he threw out finishing with 63 points.

But it was Foerster who was in total command this week.

And it was no surprise considering the American's pedigree. He has won two silver medals and one gold at the Olympics. In Barcelona he won the silver in the Flying Dutchman class and then in Sydney in 2000 he won the silver again ¿ this time in the 470 class and then in Athens four years ago he struck gold in the 470.

He also won the gold medal at the Pan Am Games in 1995.

This week he managed three first places, one second place, two third places, two fourth places and two seventh places. No one was near him.

Yesterday's final day of racing was by far the most physically and mentally grueling of these championships. It was breeziest day with the wind from the southeast at 15-20 knots.

Finishing second was Marx Chirinos from Venezuela while third place was taken by Guatemala's Jose Delgado.

The competition started on Monday with three races a day.

A second sailor from Bermuda, Vezina Martin, was also competing on Lake Erie this week and finished in 15th place.

Besides winning three Sunfish World titles, Smith has won two Pan American Games silver medals and a CAC bronze medal.