Red Bull 49erFX- It’s about what you do when you are knocked down

by Molly Meech and Alex Maloney on 8 Oct 2014 Red Bull 49erFX team of Molly Meech and Alex Maloney report on their disappointing ISAF Worlds Santander, Spain

The 2014 Santander Worlds have come and gone.

We went into the competition with two goals, to defend the title and to qualify NZ for the Olympics in the FX.

Our build up was strong. We were confident going into the event and had plenty of podium finishes earlier in the season.

Unfortunately at Santander we got our worst result to date – 12th.

We are both really disappointed with our overall result although we did qualify NZ for the Olympics. We have been training the whole year for this event, and to not execute when it counted is a hard way to end the year of racing. You are left with a sinking feeling at the bottom of your stomach as your mind replays the number of mistakes and missed opportunities that we made.

We didn’t sail our best event, but deep down we both know we can get back on the podium. We now have to go through the debriefing process, reflect on our mistakes, to allow us to form a solid plan moving forward. We will need to know exactly what to prioritise over the next year to make sure we step up our game.

A quote that is hanging up in Alex’s bedroom since a disappointing youth Worlds reads,

Being a champion isn’t about what you do when you are on top, it’s about what you do when you are knocked down - Muhammad Ali.

If we are going to achieve our goals in Rio in 2016, we are going have to work hard. We will need to start approaching a few things differently, train harder and smarter.

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