Ireland lead the 49er class standings after day one in Lanzarote ©Getty Images

Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove have taken an early lead in the 49er class at the Lanzarote International Regatta in Spain, one of five events that will determine qualification for European and African nations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Winning the third race was the highlight of their day and the pair sit on seven points after day one, with Britain's Dylan Fletcher and Stu Bithell close behind on nine after winning race two.

French pair Erwan Fischer and Julien Thibault had two second place finishes and now sit in third on 10, while Croatia's Sime Fantela and Mihovil Fantela won the opening race of the day and are now on 11 points in fourth.

Spain's Diego Botin Le Chever and Iago Lopez Marra are in fifth on 12 points.

France's Lili Sebesi and Albane Dubois lead the 49er FX class on a total of 11 points after three rounds - the highlight coming in their third race where they crossed the line first.

Although they did not manage any wins, Norway's Helene Næss and Marie Rønningen had a consistent day, finishing it in second, also on 11 points.

Dutch duo Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz won the opening race of the day and finished day one in third, a point behind the top two.

Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze of Brazil and Ida Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard of Denmark are respectively fourth and fifth, while Belgium's Isaura Maenhaut and Anouk Geurts, who won the last race of the day, are in seventh.

A European spot is guaranteed in the 49er and 49er FX classes, while an African spot is guaranteed in just the 49er.