London Olympics 2012 - See you in 2016 in Rio

by Canadian Sailing Team on 8 Aug 2012 The conclusion of Canada’s time on the water at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games came today, and Weymouth and Portland waved adieu to our Canadian Team.

The weather was typically as it has been over the last two weeks, cold and rainy in about 16 knots of breeze.

Competing in medal races were our men and women’s RS:X sailor Zac Plavsic and Nikola Girke. Fighting hard in their last two races were 470 sailors Mike Leigh and Luke Ramsay.

In their first ever medal races, proud Canadians Zac Plavsic and Nikola Girke fought hard to make a mark in the top ten.

Zac’s race was first and he was hungry for a win. He started the race eighth over the line and held his position for two mark roundings. Then disaster struck as the boom on his RS:X rig broke. He had to stop mid race to patch it back together. This saw him finishing last and taking eighth place overall, an unfortunate way to finish his Olympic run to say the least. We’re proud of Zac and have watched with wide eyes as he consistently reeled in the positions we knew he was capable of. Nice work dude!

'My boom broke so I had to stop and MacGyver it so that I could finish the race. I gave my everything and didn’t want to leave anything out on the water. I pumped my guts out until I crossed that line.'

Zachary Plavsic finished eighth overall.

Nikola Girke raced next in what she was hoping to be heavy air but turned out to be light and patchy. A strong competitor in big breeze Nikola was hoping for it in this final race to really show her stuff but sure enough it was light and patchy. 'The wind didn’t pick up like it was supposed to so it made for interesting racing. It was a good race me despite the overall result. I was in the mix the whole time. I gave my everything and am happy with my race today.'

In the medal race Nikola finished 10th in a very tight back of 10 and 10th overall for the games. Another star athlete and a true role model, we are very proud of you Nikola! Congratulations on top ten!!

Also on the water were the 470 men Mike Leigh and Luke Ramsay who have sailed this class together for only two years. Their international competitors were literally the toughest in the world, with experience coming out of their ears.

The guys showed an incredible level of skill and dedication over the last two years, and have really done themselves and their country proud. Today they sailed their last two races, finishing 26th and 19th. They leave Weymouth in 25th overall. Fantastic work guys, we hope to see you in Rio together!

For some shots and to give congrats to the Canadian team go to The Canadian Sailing Team on Facebook, and to keep checking on the many other regattas the Canadian Sailing Team will be a part of watch canadiansailingteam.ca. It’s been a pleasure to follow this team during the 2012 Games, we hope you’ll be there for Rio in 2016!

Until then, sail fast Canada!

http://www.canadiansailingteam.ca