US Olympic Team Qualifier for Women’s Match Racing at WPNSA

by Cailah Leask on 10 May 2012 US Olympic Team Qualifier for Women’s Match Racing was held over four days at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA). This was the all-important selector to decide the US Olympic Team for Women’s Match Racing.

Anna Tunnicliffe and her Team Maclaren crew Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi defeated Barkow in the 'first-to-six-wins' final match-up. With the win, Tunnicliffe, Vandemoer and Capozzi were selected for the 2012 US Olympic Team – Sailing, pending confirmation from the U.S. Olympic Committee.

'The US Olympic Trials is the hardest regatta to do in the world,' said Tunnicliffe.

'Our team, Team Tulloch and Team Barkow are three of the top 10 world teams. Coming into the Games, we knew that whichever team won here is going to the Olympics and is going to win gold. The other teams are training you have to put that extra bit of training it. It pushed us to the level we’re at and to keep training.'

Portland Harbour is the ideal stage for match racing with a protected race course ideal for close called manoeuvres so intrinsic to the match racing discipline. The US Women’s Match Racing Team will return to the shores of Weymouth and Portland from July 27 through to August 12 where they will battle it out on the water against other international teams during the Games period.