London 2012 Olympics - Strong sailing from Team Ireland

by ISA on 3 Aug 2012 At the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, today saw the return of the Star class, following a lay day and with them, Peter O’Leary and David Burrows. The pair placed ninth and seventh in their two races which sees them remain ninth overall. Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern continued racing in the 49er class. They sailed Race 7 and 8 where they placed 11th and ninth respectively, also remaining ninth overall. Ger Owens and Scott Flanigan began sailing in the 470 class and now lie 23rd overall after two races.

Peter O’Leary and David Burrows had a strong start in Race 7 this afternoon. Rounding the second mark they were in fourth, ahead of rivals Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) but while the Brazilians progressed up the fleet to finish third, O’Leary and Burrows slipped back to finish in ninth. Race 8 was similar with the duo starting in fifth but finishing in seventh. They sit ninth overall on 51 points. Leaders Percy and Simpson (GBR) are on 13 points while the Brazilians in second are on 22 points. The Star class have a final two fleet races tomorrow before the top 10 progress to the double points medal race on Sunday, 5th August.

James O’Callaghan, ISA Performance Director commented 'It was incredibly close racing within the fleet today. In Race 7 there was only 80 seconds between the first nine boats on the finish line and two minutes between them in Race 8'.

Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern, who have been sailing for four consecutive days, put in another solid performance to hold on to their spot as ninth overall on the leader board. They began Race 7 in 16th place but quickly moved up the ranks to finish just outside the top 10 in 11th. Race 8 saw them better themselves further, finishing a respectable ninth, which was enough for them to remain in ninth overall on 61 points. The Australians, Outteridge and Jensen, hold the lead on 24 points followed by Morrison and Rhodes (GBR) on 35 and Burling and Tuke (GBR) on 41. The 49er class will continue to race tomorrow before their well-earned rest day on Saturday.

'Ryan and Matt have been sailing flat out for four days and they’ve remained within the top 10 every day. They’re sailing really well and are intent on keeping it that way' remarked O’Callaghan.

Today was the long awaited first day of racing for the Irish 470 duo, Ger Owens and Scott Flanigan. The pair only began their Olympic campaign a year ago, altering their former relationship of coach (Owens) and student (Flanigan) to that of Olympic teammates. Flanigan is also the youngest of the Irish sailors at just 19. They got off to a solid start holding position in the middle of the 27 boat fleet, working their way up to 15th during the middle of the race. They didn’t quite manage to hold on to their spot and slipped back to finished 18th. They didn’t fare as well in Race 2 finishing in 25thplace. They will continue sailing tomorrow, beginning the day in 23rd overall.

'The guys were delighted to finally get out on the water today. It’s only day one for them so there’ll be plenty more sailing during the week. Ger is an experienced Olympian so this is a great way for Scott to get his introduction to the Games' explained O’Callaghan.

Today was the rest day for both the Laser Radial and the Laser fleets. Annalise Murphy remains in first overall and James Espey remains in 45th overall. Both classes will resume racing tomorrow.

Racing will continue tomorrow for all classes with a total of 11 races being sailed by Irish competitors. Sailing action starts at 12 noon in ISA website