Olympic hopefuls Zander and Jesse Kirkland finished the Miami Olympic Class Regatta yesterday in an encouraging 24th place, climbing two spots from their position on Thursday in the 49er class.

Sailing against some of the world's top sailors, the Kirkland brothers ended their campaign with a 29th, 22nd and 21st place in their final three races on Biscayne Bay.

Leading the regatta were Manu Dyen Manu and Stephane Christidis of France. The top ten overall finishers will compete this weekend for medal honours.

On Thursday, the Kirklands, who are hoping to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, had finishes of 21, a week-high 15th and 28th to put them in 26th spot ahead of yesterday's final day of racing.

The week long regatta included 15 races with one throw-out. The Kirkland brothers discarded their first race on the opening day, when they failed to finish.

They first competed in the 49er class, the 'Ferrari 'class of sailing, at the Worlds earlier this month in Barbados.

Jesse will now be returning to St. Mary's College in Maryland while Zander will be working in California with a trip to Europe on the horizon for both sailors as they look for more competition and experience.