Australia's Grae Morris has won Olympic windsurfing silver, finishing behind Israel's Tom Reuveny in their lightning quick, three-sailor final in Marseille.

The 20-year-old Sydneysider was unable to catch Reuveny in the high-velocity dash while Dutchman Luuc van Opzeeland, looking for his country's fourth successive Olympic title in the event, took the bronze medal.

Morris becomes the first Australian to win a medal in windsurfing since Lars Kleppich brought home bronze from Barcelona in 1992.

Competing in the new iQFOiL class, Morris was guaranteed a medal after topping the rankings after the 13-race qualifying series on the Mediterranean in southern France.

That meant he moved straight into the final, awaiting his two competitors.

World champion van Opzeeland won the quarter-final and semi-final earlier on Saturday with Reuveny, who was ranked second from qualifying, finishing second.

After the sailors were recalled for a second start, racing in the final got underway in perfect, top-end wind.

In iQFOiL windsurfing, the sailors fly off the water at high speed, the boards lifted by a foil with athletes pushing speeds well above 20 knots (37 kilometres per hour).