An overview of the XXXI Olympiad - News from North America and beyond
by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 9 Aug 2016
2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games Robert Deaves
Years of diligent preparation and tireless training are beginning to pay off for the fastest guns at the Rio 2016 Olympics, as the Olympic sailing regatta has now officially begun! Despite some significant PR and infrastructure setbacks that continue to dog the XXXI Olympiad, Rio’s Guanabara Bay has already started delivering the cerebral conditions that makes this body of water one of the world’s most challenging racecourses.
As of this writing, racing has commenced in the RS:X Men, RS:X Women’s, Laser and Laser Radial classes. Winds were between 10-14 knots, solidly testing each sailor’s mid-breeze skills.
After three races on Monday, Nick Dempsey (GBR) is currently sitting in first place in the RS:X Men’s windsurfing event, followed by Dorian Van Rijsselberghe (NED) and Vyron Kokkalanis (GRE). Team USA’s Pedro Pascual is sitting in 28th place.
In the RS:X Women’s class, France’s Charline Picon is currently in the pole position, followed by Stefaniya Elfutina (RUS) and Flavia Tartaglini (ITA). Team USA’s Marion Lepert is currently in ninth place.
The Men’s Laser class only managed to get off two races on Monday, but the leaderboard currently sees Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) in first place, followed by Julio Alsogaray (ARG) and Sergei Komissarov (RUS) in third place. Team USA’s Charlie Buckingham is currently sitting in 12th place, while Team Canada’s Lee Parkhill had a rough day and finds himself in 43rd place in this ultra-competitive class.
The Laser Radial class has always been a proving ground for sailing skill and sheer athleticism, and this year is proving to be no exception, with some familiar names returning to the leaderboard. After two races, Marit Bouwmeester (NED) commanded the pole position, followed by Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) and Annalise Murphy (IRL). Team USA’s Paige Railey is currently in sixth place and is poised to seriously threaten the top of the leaderboard, while Team Canada’s Brenda Bowskill is currently sitting in 21st place.
Racing is expected to take place Tuesday (August 9) in the RS:X Men’s, RS:X Women’s, Laser, Laser Radial and the singlehanded Men’s Finn class, while the 470 Men’s and Women’s classes, as well as the mixed Nacra 17 class are set to start racing on Wednesday. The Men’s 49er class and the Women’s 49erFX high-performance classes are set to start their regatta on Friday.
Medal racing begins on Sunday, August 14, with the RS:X Men’s and Women’s classes, followed on Monday (August 15) with the Laser and Laser Radial classes. The Finn and the Nacra 17 classes will see their medal races unfurl on Tuesday (August 16), the Men’s and Women’s 470 classes will compete for podium places on Wednesday (August 17), and the high-speed 49er and 49erFX classes are slated to be the last to race for Gold (Thursday, August 18).
While conditions have been favorable in the one day of racing that has taken place in this Olympiad, Friday, August 19 is reserved as a final race day, should the weather (or other factors) conspire against Olympic sailboat racing.
Inside this issue, be sure to spend some time scrolling through the fantastic image gallery that Sail-World New Zealand’s editor, Richard Gladwell, has kindly provided.
Meanwhile, for readers who are more interested in keelboat racing, Chester Race Week, which bills itself as Canada’s largest keelboat regatta, is set to take place from August 10-13 at the Chester Yacht Club in Chester, Nova Scotia. South of the border, Oakcliff Sailing will be hosting the Oakcliff International Grade 2 regatta on the waters of Oyster Bay, New York, from August 11-14, and the Nantucket Yacht Club and the Nantucket Community Sailing are joining forces to host the annual Nantucket Race Week from August 13-21.
Sail-World’s focus will naturally be riveted on the Olympics through the closing ceremony, so please join our international editorial team in wishing our athletes the best of luck as they race against the fastest One Design sailors in the world.
Go Team Canada and Team USA!!
May the four winds blow you safely home,
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