Star Worlds - Star champs Szabo and Peters want light winds

by ZDL - João Pedro Nunes on 14 Jan 2010 US team George Szabo and Rick Peters, current Star World Champions, are one of the attractions of this upcoming Star World Championship. The event's first race will take place this Saturday in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay. The two sailors from San Diego, California, are hoping for light winds so they can repeat last year’s feat, when they won their first gold medal in Varberg, Sweden.

'We tend to sail better in light wind conditions so we are keeping our fingers crossed', says Szabo, who has been in Rio for less than a week and is still reeling from the 40 degrees Celsius heat he encountered in the city. 'It feels like we have been here much longer', says Peters, jokingly.

Canadian Ross MacDonald, 1994 Star World Champion in San Diego, USA, Olympic silver medalist in Athens (2004) and bronze medalist in Barcelona (1992), is one of the most experienced sailors in this category, with 25 years of experience. Married to Brazilian Olympic athlete Marcia Pellicano, Ross speaks Portuguese and will compete in the World Championship with crew member André Lekszycki, from Niteroi.

'It's great to compete in Brazil and try for another great outcome', says the Canadian sailor who lives in Vancouver, but has been in Rio de Janeiro for almost three months. He adds, 'We have trained a lot and we know the race course very well.' So far, the athlete has competed in five Olympics.

Event website: www.starworlds2010.com