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'The Jackal' holds on to close on Vendee glory

French skipper Armel Le Cleac'h holds a lead of 74.9 nautical miles over closest rival Alex Thomson as both raced towards the French coast

Alex Thomson nibbled away again at Armel "The Jackal" Le Cleac'h's lead in the Vendee Globe solo round the world race on Tuesday but was running desperately low on time to overhaul the Frenchman. Thomson, looking to become the first Briton to win the gruelling race in its 27-year history, has been shaving down his rival's lead in recent days, during which he even set a 24-hour speed record for distance covered in a single hulled yacht. But Le Cleac'h has steadied his Banque Populaire VIII and at 1700 GMT had a lead of 58 nautical miles as they raced towards the French coast and the finishing line. The race winner is expected to cross the line between 1100 and 1300 GMT on Thursday, which would be a record fast time. With the wind having dropped, the Frenchman was still under pressure to keep the dogged Thomson in his Hugo Boss vessel at bay as they steered towards the English Channel, where northeasterly winds await. Thomson has been fighting to close the gap for 45 days since Le Cleac'h ended the Briton's brief spell at the head of the race which embarked from the French west coast November 6. Le Cleac'h is straining to go one better than two runner-up showings and those who know him think he will not let the chance of glory slip, having already endured more than 72 testing days at sea. "They don't call Armel 'The Jackal' for nothing. He is a few miles ahead and I think he won't let our British friend pass," said Conrad Colman, standing 10th with Foresight Natural Energy. "Alex is plugging away and coming back very strongly but I think that Armel has what it takes to defend his lead," added Fabrice Amedeo, 11th in Newrest-Matmut. "It'll be tight -- but he will hold on." Leading positions Tuesday at 1700 GMT: 1. Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA/Banque populaire VIII) at 459 nautical miles from the finish 2. Alex Thomson (GBR/Hugo Boss) at 57.5 nm behind the leader 3. Jeremie Beyou (FRA/Maitre Coq) at 816.1 4. Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA/StMichel-Virbac) at 1,714 5. Jean Le Cam (FRA/Finistere Mer Vent) at 1,833.7 6. Yann Elies (FRA/Queguiner-Leucemie Espoir) at 1,835.2 7. Louis Burton (FRA/Bureau Vallee) at 2,904.7 8. Nandor Fa (HUN/Spirit of Hungary) at 4,578.9 9. Eric Bellion (FRA/CommeUnSeulHomme) at 5,159.9 10. Conrad Colman (NZL/Foresight Natural Energy) at 5,221.8