Singapore  - In a final dash to the finish, Spanish yacht Telefonica Blue late Monday night won the third leg of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race from Kochi, India to Singapore.

The winning yacht sped past early leader Sweden's Ericsson 4 to cross the finish line off Singapore at 9:51 pm (0251 GMT).

It finished the 1,950-nautical-mile leg five minutes ahead of the second boat to finish, US entry Puma Ocean Racing.

Next was Sweden's Ericsson 3, followed by Ericsson 4. These boats were followed by Spain's Telefonica Black, China's Green Dragon and Team Russia. Dutch craft Delta Lloyd, the eighth and last boat, was still 155 nautical miles away from Singapore late Monday, and was expected to arrive late Tuesday.

The fourth leg of the race will start on January 18, 2009, with the boats heading for Qingdao, China, a Volvo Ocean Race spokeswoman said. (9999dpa)