China poised for Olympic Sailing history

by Rob Kothe on 19 Aug 2008 Hong Kong sailor Lee Lai-shan won Women’s windsurfing gold in Atlanta in 1996, showing that lightly framed Asian sailors had the physique to win on the ‘planks; and since then China has been hunting for medals. China has already won two Olympic silver medals in widsurfing, with Zhang Xiaodong in Barcelona in 1992 and Yin in Athens in 2004 and today's Laser Radial bronze won by Qingdao's own Lijia Xu .

This afternoon RS: X series leader Yin Jian (CHN) won the final race of the 2008 Beijing Olympic ten race RS: X sailing regatta afternoon, putting her five points ahead of Alessandra Sensini (ITA) who is just three points of Britain’s Bryony Shaw, with Australia’s Jessica Crisp, five points behind her.

In tomorrow’s Yin Jian will receive enormous support from China supporters, poised as she is to make Olympic sailing history. She is already a Chinese superstar, attracting more and more media in the post race scrum. She’s found it impossible to carry her windsurfer to the boat park because of the pressing media throng and tomorrow will be a huge day.

The RS:X Womens Medal race will possibly the most watched Olympic sailing event in history, and will for many of the audience be the first time they have watched a sailing event.

Perhaps it’s just as well that by their nature wind surfers do not lend themselves to match racing, because the sailor who pumps harder, goes faster and so the large crowds cheering for their local heroine will be spared the unedifying spectacle of the series leader hunting the second placed sailor and sailing them out of the regatta.

Yin Jian says ‘I am not confident in light conditions.’ but her competitors and her race result say otherwise.

Senseni was being realistic today when she commented ‘The Chinese girl is great in light wind and she is physically stronger than I am, so I will just have to go and try my best. ‘

The Australian Crisp, says ‘Yin Jian ands I are strongest in light winds, we pump hardest, so I might be fourth now but I know I can improve my position tomorrow.’

RS:X - Women - Overall Results
POS	Country	REP
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total	Net
1	CHN	Jian Yin	1	1	1	3	3	-13	7	8	8	1	46	33
2	ITA	Alessandra Sensini	6	2	9	1	-28	3	2	2	5	8	66	38
							DSQ
3	GBR	Bryony Shaw	4	3	11	6	-28	6	5	3	1	2	69	41
							OCS
4	AUS	Jessica Crisp	2	4	3	8	1	8	9	-14	6	5	60	46
5	ESP	Marina Alabau	3	5	5	2	5	-11	8	5	4	9	57	46
6	NZL	Barbara Kendall	12	7	12	4	2	4	3	6	13	-21	84	63
7	POL	Zofia Klepacka	-17	16	17	5	4	2	1	1	3	17	83	66
8	UKR	Olga Maslivets	5	6	-14	11	10	1	4	12	12	12	87	73
9	HKG	Wai Kei Chan	10	10	6	13	7	12	6	7	-14	4	89	75
10	ISR	Maayan Davidovich	13	9	-20	9	13	14	16	4	9	10	117	97
11	FRA	Faustine Merret	8	-28	10	7	11	19	17	18	7	3	128	100
				DSQ
12	BUL	Irina Konstantinova Bontemps	-18	8	8	15	18	17	10	10	2	13	119	101
13	JPN	Yasuko Kosuge	9	12	4	17	14	-18	18	11	10	7	120	102
14	NOR	Jannicke Stalstrom	7	-28	2	12	9	10	15	13	21	18	135	107
				DSQ
15	GRE	Antonia Athena Frey	15	15	16	10	-19	5	11	9	15	11	126	107
16	FIN	Tuuli Petaja	14	11	7	-16	16	16	12	16	11	14	133	117
17	CAN	Nikola Girke	11	14	13	14	12	15	13	-28	18	15	153	125
										DNF
18	BRA	Patricia Freitas	20	13	15	-23	6	7	21	17	16	20	158	135
19	DEN	Bettina Honor	21	18	21	18	20	9	14	15	-22	6	164	142
20	THA	Napalai Tansai	16	17	18	-24	8	22	19	23	23	23	193	169
21	CYP	Gavriella Chadjidamianou	19	22	23	22	15	23	-25	22	20	16	207	182
22	HUN	Diana Detre	22	20	19	21	22	25	-26	20	17	19	211	185
23	MEX	Demita Vega	23	21	25	25	17	21	20	19	19	-26	216	190
24	RUS	Tatiana Bazyuk	24	23	24	19	21	20	22	21	-25	24	223	198
25	ARG	Florencia Gutierrez	27	19	27	20	23	26	23	-28	24	27	244	216
										DNF
26	USA	Nancy Damian Rios	25	24	22	26	24	27	-28	28	26	22	252	224
									DNF	DNF
27	TUR	Sedef Koktenturk	26	25	26	27	-28	24	24	28	27	25	260	232
							OCS			DNF