Lysekil Women's Match - Quarterfinalists and WIMRS winners decided

by Joakim Hermansson on 8 Aug 2013 At the Lysekil Women's Match, four matches still remain, but the quarterfinalists have already been determined. Thursday morning will see Lucy Macgregor and ISAF world ranking number one, Danish Camilla Ulrikkeholm, in their last match of the round-robin. The winner of that match will win the round-robin.

By securing her quarterfinal slot in Lysekil, Macgregor will also be the first champion of the inaugural Women's International Match Racing Series. At this point she cannot finish the Lysekil event lower than eighth place, and her competitors needed her to falter and finish in ninth or lower, for anyone else to take the Series' title. 'We're really pleased. It's been very fun with the Series and we certainly enjoy being on the match racing scene. Personally I'm benefiting a lot for my Olympic Nacra 17 campaign' said Lucy, who on Saturday's prize giving ceremony will receive 25 000 dollars and the Terry J Kohler Perpetual Trophy for her great performance this year.

Ulrikkeholm and Swede Anna Kjellberg are now the only skippers who can still reach the Women's International Match Racing Series' runner-up position, and its 15 000 dollar share of the prize purse. And they will both fight also for a share of the 50 000 dollar Lysekil Women's Match prize purse, to be distributed on Saturday. Ulrikkeholm is the reigning champion in Lysekil, having won two consecutive events, and she declared on Wednesday's press conference that she doesn't at all like losing, not even one single match: 'I'm not pleased with our results so far, a loss is a loss and we don't want them' the Dane said about her 7 - 2 record. 'But we really like the crowd on the cliffs. It's our seventh event here in Lysekil, and they always give us a big hand'. Kjellberg is currently sharing third place in the round-robin with French Claire Leroy, on a 6 - 3 score, just one victory behind Ulrikkeholm: 'Today we managed to stay calm and find the puffs as the wind dropped in the afternoon' said Kjellberg, who has been sailing all the Women's International Match Racing Series' events, gaining valuable experience.

Thursday morning the round-robin of Lysekil Women's Match will be concluded, with the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Semi finals will be sailed Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon will see the grand finale.

Standings in Lysekil Women's Match 2013 after two days of round-robin. (The top eight are already through to the quarterfinals, but their order is still to be determined in the final matches of the round-robin.) Skipper, nationality, won/lost matches: 1. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 7 - 2 1. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 7 - 2 3. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 6 - 3 3. Claire Leroy, FRA, 6 - 3 5. Ekaterina Skudina, RUS, 5 - 3 6. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 6 - 4 7. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 5 - 5 7. Johanna Larsson, SWE, 5 - 5, 9. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 3 - 7 10. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 1 - 7 11. Anna Kjellgren, SWE, 0 - 10

Standings in the 2013 Women's International Match Racing Series after four events, in France, Korea, Denmark and USA (skipper/nationality/WIMRS points): 1. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 66 2. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 61 3. Stephanie Roble, USA, 47 4. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 44 4. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 44 6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 26 7. Tamara Echegoyen, ESP, 25 7. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 25 7. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 25 10. Julie Bossard, FRA, 22 11. Katie Spithill, AUS, 19 12. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 17 13. Merel Witteveen, NED, 15 13. Ekaterina Skudina, RUS, 15 15. Nicole Breault, USA, 10 16. Susannah Pyatt, NZL, 9 17. Milly Bennett, AUS, 8 18. Anna Kjellgren, SWE, 7 19. Madeline Gill, USA, 6 20. Anne Marit Hansen, NOR, 4 20. Sung-Eun Choi, KOR, 4 20. Morgane Dréau, FRA, WIMRS Lysekil Womens Match website