Australia’s Olympic squad on fire
by Rob Kothe and the Sail-World Team on 11 May 2012
Slingsby on the start line in Germany - Laser World Championships 2012 Nils Bergmann - Segelaction.de
Australia's Tom Slingsby has won his fifth world Laser championship in Boltenhagen, Germany today.
The 27-year-old Gosford NSW sailor secured the 2012 World Championship with a race to spare.
It’s been a great voyage, back in 2006 Slingsby led into the medal race in the Laser Worlds in Korea, only to have his now coach Michael Blackburn match race him out of the World Championship and since then Slingsby has dominated the Laser scene with the painful exception of the 2008 Qingdao regatta.
Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, the defend 49er World Champions extended their lead the 2012 World Championship overnight, with Outteridge aiming for his fourth world title and Jensen his third.
Matt Belcher and Malcolm Page are the defending champions and will start favourites in the Mens 470 World this weekend in Barcelona. It they win they will have something like ten 470 World titles between them.
With more World Championships ahead we look forward to the Golden Girls Elise Rechichi and Belinda Stowell taking another step forward on their short Weymouth journey and newest Australian Olympic squad member Finn sailor Brendan Casey also having great world championships in Falmouth.
Quite a way forward to the Womens Match Racing world championship in Gothenburg Sweden in late June, where Olivia Price, Nina Curtis and Lucinda Whitty carry the flag for Australia
With Tom’s great result and our 49er guys in front, this has been a very good week for Australian sailing, may there be many more.
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