Loof and Ekstrom retake Star Lead

by ISAF (source: Olympic News Service) on 19 Aug 2008 Sweden's Fredrik LOOF and Anders EKSTROM won Race 6 on Monday to take the overall lead in the Men's Keelboat - Star event at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre.

Fredrik LOOF and Anders EKSTROM (SWE) posted 6, 1, 8 scores in Monday's shifty conditions with a current that confused some sailors. In the day’s other two races Hamish PEPPER and Carl WILLIAMS (NZL) won race 5 and Iain PERCY and Andrew SIMPSON (GBR) won race 7.

PERCY and SIMPSON’s performance today moves them up into second place, although SIMPSON said it was a difficult day for the pair. 'The fleet was very close. The first race was quite bad, but we got better in the second race. Perhaps we had a bit more luck,' he said.

Xavier ROHART and Pascal RAMBEAU (FRA), bronze medallists in Athens, are third overall.

The day's biggest comeback was made by world #1 ranked Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ and Dominik ZYCKI (POL). They recovered from 13th around the first mark in race 7 to third at the finish.

Double Olympic gold medallist Robert SCHEIDT and his crew Bruno PRADA (BRA) continue to have an up and down regatta with 9, 10, 2 scores in today’s three races. The Brazilians lie eighth overall although PRADA is refusing to write off their chances, 'There are only nine points separating third through ninth. It's anybody's regatta.'

http://www.isaf.org/olympics