Day 4 SIRS- Balance of medals decided
by Di Pearson on 18 Dec 2007
Sarah Blanck(AUS) Laser Radial Gold Jack Atley
http://www.jackatley.com
Australian entries put on a great show, winning four gold medals, two silver and a bronze as the remaining classes completed racing at the Sydney International Regatta this afternoon.
Laser One of the early gold medals went to Michael Leigh (CAN) in the Laser class after sailing consistently throughout the series, his worst results a sixth and an 11th, which he used as race drops.
Making a come back as big as big as Lazarus, world champion Tom Slingsby, surged to a win in the final Race 9 to take silver. Slingsby, from the NSW Central Coast, scored fifth in race 7, increasing his chances somewhat, but the win cemented his second place, pipping a second Canadian, Bernard Luttmar, on countback.
Two New Zealand entries, Andrew Murdoch and Mike Bullot filled out the next two places, also a countback situation after finishing the series on equal points.
Although pleased with his result, Leigh says he is now looking to the World's
in February at Terrigal. 'I have to face-off against nine other Canadian's for the Olympic place at the World's. Anyone could have won SIRs - it always come down to the final two races. Tom Slingsby and Andrew Murdoch sometimes get away from everyone else, but mostly there are so many good sailors, it comes down to who has that little bit extra,' Leigh, from Vancouver, said this afternoon.
Slingsby says coming from behind, the pressure was off him. 'It's easier in a lot of respects. Everyone is concentrating on those in the lead. I'm happy with my result here, despite the hiccups. I'm definitely going fast. My preparations for the World's is going very well. I've come away from SIRs with a bit to learn - I know that.'
Of the ferry incident, the 22 year-old explains: 'There was so much traffic out there that first day. I had a ferry close in front of me I was keeping an eye on; next thing I knew, I heard a toot, and there was one right behind me - I was hemmed in,' he says.
Yesterday's report of him port tacking the fleet was incorrect. 'I was coming to the top mark and was on the layline about three metres away and sailed into a knock. I couldn't lay - I had a couple of goes and ended up rounding the mark in about 35th place.'
49er Third, second and a win in the final three 49er races ensured gold for Nathan Outteridge/Ben Austin (AUS). The pair was ecstatic with their series win.
Early series leaders Paul Campbell-James/Mark Asquith (GBR) took silver and the Portuguese pair of Jorge Lima Francisco Andrade took bronze, their seventh place in Race 11 killing any chance of hanging onto silver.
'We like it gusty and shifty,' said winning crew Austin on coming ashore, 'it gives us a chance to work our way back into the fleet when we need to. We got really bad starts in the first two races, so it did work to our advantage. We pretty much led the last race all the way to win it,' he said.
Skipper Outteridge says: 'It feels good to win here. The field is a strong one - the Europeans here are top standard, so we got a good workout. We'll take a few days off now then focus on the World's at Sail Melbourne in January.'
Mark Asquith, silver medallist crew, commented: 'it was so shifty and gusty, very hard to read. Second is not first, but it's better than third, I guess. It has definitely paid us to come to SIRs and to the Australian 49er
Nationals at Woollahra, they have been very professionally run and both will be of big benefit to me and Paul at the World's. We've both really enjoyed the hospitality of Woollahra Sailing Club,' he said.
RS:X Sailboard In the small fleet RS:X sailboards, Jannicke Stalstrom (NOR) stormed home to take the Women's gold medal, while Australia's Jessica Crisp has finished with the silver and another Australian and future Olympic prospect, Alisha Kawalla has won bronze.
The Norwegian sailor was too good for her counterparts, winning today's final two races, just pipping Crisp on the finish line in the final race. 'It was exciting, but she got said Crisp, who bound for her third Olympics
when she represents in Beijing, came up with two second places, while Kawalla finished third in both Races 8 and 9.
Patrik Pollak (SVK) took gold in the Men's RS:X, Karel Lavicky (CZE) won silver and Jonathan Bonnitcha (AUS) won bronze.
Laser Radial Women's Sarah Blanck (AUS) had it all her own way in the Laser Radial Women's event this year. Now being coached by Olympic bronze medallist Michael Blackburn, Blanck seems much more at ease with the boat and herself. Her winning margin to second placed Tania Elias Calles (MEX), who won the final race, was 19 points, with Jo Aleh (NZL) third placed, a further two points behind.
Blanck, from Victoria, agrees. 'I'm feeling a lot more comfortable and know where I'm heading. To win at SIRs confirms to me I am heading in the right direction.'
Penny Clark was the best placed of the British girls, overcoming Laura Baldwin, who looked good until the final day. Evi Van Acker (BEL) finished well down after contracting a stomach virus which left her unable to race the last two days.
470 Men Australia took gold in the 470 Men's, but it was not a simple job for the world champions Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page, the result only being decided on the race course this afternoon and in the final of the three races, even though they won the opening race of the day.
Eventually, the pair defeated two sets of brothers who had been biting at the Aussie's heels all week. Ben and Romain Bonnaud (FRA), who at one stage led the series, finished second overall just one point behind the Aussies. Page had said before the event the Frenchman would be strong contenders, and he was right.
Sven and Kalle Coster (NED) were third, a further four points behind. The brothers were up there all week and did not go away.
470 Women Veteran campaigners Ingrid Petitjean/Nadage Douroux (FRA) worked their way to the top of the scoreboard and made their final move in today's races, winning the opening race and doing enough to jump from yesterday's second place and into the gold medal position this afternoon late - but they did it by the seat of their pants, finishing on equal points with yesterday's leaders.
Nike Kornecki/Vered Bouskila (ISR) would have been disappointed to slip to silver, especially on countback, but at least they remained on the podium. The Swiss pair of Emmanuelle Rol/Anne-Sophie Thilo held their game together to claim the bronze medal, just four points behind.
The Australian crew of Elise Rechichi/Tessa Parkinson did not race as a pair at this event, Rechichi taking time out to heal a back problem, not wanting to take a chance at SIRs with the 470 Worlds coming up at Sail Melbourne in January. However, Parkinson did get a couple of races in, with Sydney 2000 470 Men's gold medallist Tom King helming for Parkinson, the pair being scored in the Men's class. King thrilled all, pulling out a third place after three years away from the class.
Ynglings The three-crew Olympic keelboat only undertook two day's of racing and Krystal Weir, steering in the absence of Nicky Bethwaite, took Karyn Gojnich and Angela Farrell to a win against to match racing stars, Katie Spithill and crew and Nicky Souter and crew. All three entries are from NSW. On finishing those commitments, Weir slipped back into her natural habitat of the Laser Radial Women's class and was happy with her results there too.
Laser Radial Men's The lone Tasmanian winner at the Sydney International Regatta this year came in the form of Benjamin Price who won the Men's Laser Radial from Queenslander Klade Hauschildt. It came down to the wire and
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