Asian YOG Qualifier day 1 and 2
by Byte Class Association on 27 Nov 2009
2009 Asian YOG Qualifier Byte Class
http://bytechamps.org/
On the opening day of the Youth Olympic Games Asian Qualifier, three races were held in winds averaging 12 knots and waves of up to 1.5m. 2007 Byte World Champion Keerati Bualong (THA) lead the pack with a strong 1-1-2 finish, followed closely by compatriot Natthawut Peanyaem with a 2-2-1 score. Nathan Tang (SIN) stood third with 3-3-5.
Day two started out with light winds averaging nine knots. With an air temperature of 26 degrees Celsius (sea temperature in Pattaya is 18 Degree Celsius), this served as a good gauge of the sailing conditions of the 2010 Youth Olympics to be held in Singapore.
Race 4 started with a light breeze of about eight knots and Singapore sailors capitalized on this to finish in the top three positions. Nathan Tang finished first followed closely by Darren Choy, the current Byte CII World Champion, in second and compatriot Chai Xun in third place. Keerati Bualong (THA) claimed the fourth position.
Sailing conditions were unchanged in Race 5 and once again Singapore sailors claimed the top three positions. This time, Nathan Tang finished first followed by Darren Choy and Terence Choo, the 2009 Byte CII Canadian Champion. Keerati again finished fourth.
Wind conditions strengthened in Race 6 with gusts to 12kts and, this time, Keerati (THA) stormed into the lead and never lost it. Terence Choo finished in second and Natthawut Peanyaem (THA) in third.
At the end of day two of racing, Keerati (THA) leads with nine points. Nathan Tang (SIN) and Natthawut Peanyeam (THA) are four points behind Keerati and tied at 13 points each.
There are three Country spots in the YOG up for grabs in this qualifier in both the male and female singlehanded disciplines. The top three countries qualifying at present (excluding Singapore with the host's bye) are the same:
Male
THA (Pongwichean)
MAS (Jais)
CHN (Zili)
Female
CHN (Min)
MAS (Latif)
THA (Thanawitwilat)
With 10 more races scheduled, this qualifier is building up to an exciting finish. Stay tuned for updates on day three!
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