Jesse and Zander Kirkland produced their first podium finish in stunning fashion at the Olympic sailing venue in Weymouth and Portland yesterday.The sailing siblings finished runners-up in the second race in the 49er skiff behind regatta leaders and four-time world champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (Australia) to prove yet again that they have the pedigree to mix it up with the world’s best on their day.“Jesse and I knew all along that we were capable of this,” said ecstatic crewman Zander. “We had the boat speed earlier in the regatta, we just didn’t have the boat handling down like the other more experienced teams have (in heavier air).“But we always knew we have the resolve to keep fighting after our shocking start. After the start we had it took some character to keep pushing because looking at the results could get you down.”It was the fourth top ten finish the Kirklands have managed so far during the regatta; not bad pickings for an inexperienced team on their Olympic debut with a budget that pales in comparison to some of their more illustrious rivals.Despite starting further down the line in yesterday’s first race, the Kirklands rounded the top mark in third after milking a huge wind shift on the right side of the course and rolling on top of several boats as they approached the lay line.They then moved up to second at the leeward mark after a solid downwind run and protected their position the rest of the way, much to the delight of their small but vociferous band of supporters watching from the shoreline of Weymouth Bay.In the first race the Kirklands had opted for the right side of the course on the first beat and paid a heavy price as the winds shifted to the left, leaving them toiling in bad air.But the courageous gamble to sail the same route on the first beat to the weather mark in the second race reaped better reward.“We were initially a little worried but we had a good angle and pressure relative to the fleet, so once we got a little jump on the fleet we couldn’t justify tacking back into the lighter wind,” Zander said. “In the 49er in light air pressure is the name of the game, so we were confident and stuck to our guns.”The Kirklands were equally as solid going downwind in the second race with their colourful Bermuda spinnaker in full bloom.“There was some current sweeping across (the course) so we went beyond the lay line on a port gybe so we could sail a hotter angle than the rest of the fleet,” added Zander. “That allowed us to go fast and then the current took us to the mark, so basically we had the best of both worlds.”The Kirklands began yesterday on the back foot after finishing a disappointing 19th in the first race.After being left stranded on the right when the winds shifted to the left, the brothers’ woes were further compounded after they had to complete a penalty turn for colliding with Austrian pair Nico Delle and Nikolaus Resch while tacking from starboard to port.With their hopes of reaching the medal race dashed, the Kirklands will now look to end the Olympic regatta on a positive note in today’s final two races.Only the top ten teams will advance to Wednesday’s medal race. The Kirklands are 18th in the 20-strong 49er fleet.“There’s still potential to move up if we can get in two good races,” said Zander. “Our goal is to stay focused, get good starts and get the boat going fast and hopefully put together some good results.”