NZL Sailing Team - Countback costs Murdoch 2015 Finn Gold Cup Medal

by Jodie Bakewell-White, Yachting on 29 Nov 2015 New Zealand's Andrew Murdoch has finished fourth at the 2015 Finn Gold Cup missing out on a podium finish by the narrowest of margins.

Placing ninth in today’s medal race, which got underway just after 3pm in an eight to ten knot northerly breeze, Murdoch finished the regatta on equal points to Vasilij Zbogar of Slovenia.

The visitor had the better medal race finish (sixth) and he claims the bronze medal denying the kiwi his moment on the podium in front of a home crowd. Giles Scott was awarded the gold medal and closed the regatta 45 points ahead of Jonathan Lobert of France, who won silver.

Murdoch was clearly disappointed. “I’m pretty gutted. Tied third on points but on count back he beat me in that last race and he gets the third. Not what I set out to do today. I’m bloody disappointed,” he said after racing.

“But there has been some really good things come out of this week. I’ll just have to take all of the learnings out of this medal race.”

Murdoch couldn’t pin today’s medal race result on any one thing; “I felt a little bit sticky upwind, a little bit slow at times. In saying that it was quite patchy and quite light so it’s hard to know if it was speed or where you are on the race course. It was a really difficult one, it wasn’t straight forward. That’s the way it goes.”

“I’ve just got to keep pushing hard from here. It’s good to post a good result at this stage of the cycle. There is still plenty of time for me to make some improvements and cut down that gap that Giles has got on us all at the moment. He’s sailed really well this regatta.”

33 year old Murdoch is a two-time Olympian in the Laser class having represented New Zealand at Qingdao China 2008, and also at London 2012 placing fifth both times.

He has been on the podium at the Laser World Championships four times with a silver medal in 2007, and bronze in 2005, 2010 and 2011.

Murdoch switched classes in 2013, and at last year’s Finn Gold Cup (decided at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain) he placed sixth. Murdoch grew up sailing in Northland, and he now represents the Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club and the Kerikeri Cruising Club.

Race organizers made commendable attempts to start the final race for those outside the top ten taking them out to the course area twice when wind crept in. However, at this morning’s briefing the Principal Race Officer advised that he would hold “a fair race, or no race,” and in the end it was determined that the final race be cancelled at around 2:30pm.

This meant that New Zealand’s Josh Junior, lying outside the top ten at the end of the penultimate day was denied the chance to improve his final placing and he wraps up the 2015 Finn Gold Cup with 14th as his result.

The NZL Sailing Team’s younger Finn campaigner, 25-year old Junior, also switched classes from the Laser to the Finn to campaign towards Rio 2016. Since transitioning Junior has regularly placed within the top five at the major international regattas and he won a silver medal at the 2015 Finn European Championships in Weymouth.

The Wellington raised sailor represented New Zealand at the 2015 Rio Test Event where he placed fifth.

To see full results from the 2015 Finn Gold Cup click here.

The 2016 Finn Gold Cup is scheduled to be sailed from 5-13 May, in Italy.

About the Finn Gold Cup:
The 2015 Finn Gold Cup (the Finn Class World Championship) has been held at Takapuna Boating Club in Auckland, New Zealand from 21 to 29 November. The event website is: 2015.finngoldcup.org

Social Media:
There will be regular updates including an on the water feed via Twitter and Facebook
Twitter: twitter.com/Finn_Class
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Finn-Class-110408332633/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/thefinnchannel

Useful links:
Entry List: http://2015.finngoldcup.org/webpages/entry-list/
Noticeboard: http://2015.finngoldcup.org/webpages/jury-notices/
Race documents: http://2015.finngoldcup.org/webpages/about-us/