Sail-World.com : Youth Olympics - Gold to Argentinean and Chinese Techno 293 racers

Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games - Argentina's Francisco Saubidet Birkner and China's Linli Wu claimed the Boy's and Girl's Techno 293 honours as sailing concluded at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China.

A single undiscardable race brought the Techno 293 racing to a close with the conditions testing the 20 boy's and 21 girl's racers who took to the course. Three knots gusting up to eight knots from an easterly direction made life tough on the race course with those with excellent tactical nous and light wind prowess excelling.

Left to right - Maxim Tokarev, Francisco Saubidet Birkner, and Lars van Someren - Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games - ISAF ©

Boy's Techno 293

Techno 293 - Francisco Saubidet Birkner - Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games - ISAF ©

Argentina's Francisco Saubidet Birkner overthrew Russia's Maxim Tokarev to take Boy's Techno 293 gold in a winner take all final duel.

The points were extremely tight between the top seven of the pack with plenty of equations possible. In the end it turned out to be a tussle at the top between Saubidet Birkner and Tokarev.

Saubidet Birkner and Tokarev jostled for position throughout the final race with the places going to and fro. The Argentine read the conditions perfectly to overtake Tokarev and finish second in the final race, one place ahead of the Russian to take the title.

'I'm very happy because the wind was very difficult today,' said the Argentina. 'I raced very good, I was always on the right side and I finished second and first overall, so it's perfect.

'We've trained all of the year for this event so we are very happy that that I finished first.'

From six races, Tokarev took a one point lead over the Argentine going into the final day. Saubidet Birkner was aware of the threat that Tokarev posed, as he explained, 'He's very good in this wind and in this wind I think he's the best. I started very good and very near to him and I raced always next to him because I was second and one point behind him. In the last lap I was on the right side so I finished second and he finished third.'

Tokarev was visibly disappointed upon completion of the final race but was happy ashore, 'I was behind my opponent at the second upwind but the wind dropped and my opponent went ahead of me so maybe he was more powerful or maybe it was luck.

'I'm happy that I have silver and the girl from my team also picked up silver so Russia is the most powerful team in the Techno now.'

The Netherlands Lars van Someren (NED) came into the day with a chance of gold and a threat of dropping completely out of the medals. He came through in fourth position to seal bronze and after racing he said, 'I'm super happy. Before I came here I expected a top five but a medal is amazing. I love being on the podium.'

Van Someren headed straight to the spectator stand after racing where he greeted his family, 'Well my dad has been over excited all the week. He's supported me all the way and my mother as well with all the time they've invested with the training, the driving, buying equipment and without them I couldn't have done it so that's why I wanted to thank them first.'

Girl's Techno 293

Left to right - Mariam Sekhposyan, Linli Wu, and Lucie Pianazza - Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games - ISAF ©

Linli Wu took gold for China in the Girl's Techno 293 with a final race bullet stylishly sealing the deal on her home waters.

Wu dominated the pack throughout the week and took a seven point advantage into the final day. Despite being middle of the pack at the first mark she worked her way up the fleet to seal an emphatic victory with the chasing racers a considerable distance behind.

After racing Wu said, 'I had good starts and used the wind shifts and got to know the wind well before. I could see from the beginning it would be pumping tactics and I am quite good at that.

'To prepare for this event I lost some weight and went from 65kg to 55kg for the light conditions because I knew it would be light conditions.

'I am very happy and very proud.'

Before racing commenced the Chinese sailor was somewhat of an unknown quantity but the fleet got to know her quickly as she took four of seven race victories.

Mariam Sekhposyan picked up silver and was content with her performance, 'I'm happy that everything is over but I'm upset that it's just silver because I didn't know the Chinese girl and when I saw her in the first races I was like, 'what, who is this?' but she is very good.'

France's Lucie Pianazza wrapped up bronze, finishing the final race in fourth, 'It was difficult because the wind moved a lot but I finished third or fourth because I arrived as the same time as the Thailand sailor. It's great because I am third and it's beautiful.

'I would like to have an Olympic medal but I have bronze here and I am really happy. I will move to the RS:X and I would like to go to the Worlds and be in the top and one of the best athletes. I want to sail at the ISAF Youth Worlds.'

Techno 293 - Women - Overall Results

Pos	Nation	Sail Number	Crew	Race							Points
Pos	Nation	Sail Number	Crew	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total	Net
1	CHN	CHN	Linli Wu	4	(7)	1	1	2	1	1	17.00	10.00
2	RUS	RUS	Mariam Sekhposyan	7	2	3	(10)	1	3	2	28.00	18.00
3	FRA	FRA	Lucie Pianazza	2	3	4	3	4	(5)	4	25.00	20.00
4	NED	NED	Aimee Van't Hoff	3	6	6	4	3	(8)	5	35.00	27.00
5	THA	THA	Duangkamon Phongern	1	12	2	(14)	14	2	3	48.00	34.00
6	HKG	HKG	SANDY CHOI WING CHI	5	(17)	10	11	6	9	8	66.00	49.00
7	JPN	JPN	Rina Niijima	11	4	7	9	9	(17)	10	67.00	50.00
8	ISR	ISR	Noy DRIHAN	9	10	5	13	8	(15)	6	66.00	51.00
9	PER	PER	Maria Belen Bazo	6	5	(14)	8	5	13	14	65.00	51.00
10	SIN	SIN	Sue Ying Lim	(19)	9	11	6	7	6	13	71.00	52.00
11	ITA	ITA	Giulia Alagna	10	1	9	7	(11)	10	16	64.00	53.00
12	LAT	LAT	Ketija Birzule	(16)	11	13	15	10	4	7	76.00	60.00
13	POL	POL	Magdalena Majewska	8	(16)	16	2	15	12	11	80.00	64.00
14	ESP	ESP	MARIA FATOU LOSADA	14	8	(22) DSQ	17	16	7	9	93.00	71.00
15	EST	EST	Brigita Villop	(20)	15	12	5	18	11	18	99.00	79.00
16	NZL	NZL	Coral Headey	12	(18)	8	18	12	18	15	101.00	83.00
17	TUR	TUR	Derin Gunenc	13	13	(18)	12	17	16	21	110.00	92.00
18	MEX	MEX	Mariana Aguilar Chavez Peon	(17)	14	17	16	13	14	20	111.00	94.00
19	ARG	ARG	Micaela Rocio Lauret	15	(19)	15	19	19	19	17	123.00	104.00
20	VEN	VEN	Barbara Moya	21	(22) OCS	19	21	20	21	12	136.00	114.00
21	IND	IND	katya ida coelho	18	20	20	20	(22) DNF	20	19	139.00	117.00

Legend

( )

Excluded Score

DSQ

Disqualification

ARB

Scoring penalty after arbitration

OCS

On the course side of the starting line and broke rule 29.1 or 30.1

BFD

Disqualification under rule 30.3

PTS

Scoring penalty for a yellow flag after the finish

DGM

Disqualification under rule 69.1(b)(2) not excludable

RAF

Retired after finishing

DNC

Did not come to the starting area

RDG

Redress given

DNE

Disqualification not excludable under rule 88.3(b)

RET

Retired

DNF

Did not finish

SCP

Took a scoring penalty under rule 44.3

DNS

Did not start

UFD

U flag penalty imposed

DPI

Discretionary penalty imposed

ZFP

20% penalty under rule 30.2

Techno 293 - Men - Overall Results

Pos	Nation	Sail Number	Crew	Race							Points
Pos	Nation	Sail Number	Crew	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total	Net
1	ARG	ARG	Francisco Saubidet Birkner	6	1	1	8	1	(11)	2	30.00	19.00
2	RUS	RUS	Maxim Tokarev	(9)	3	6	1	2	4	3	28.00	19.00
3	NED	NED	Lars van Someren	1	4	(10)	9	3	2	4	33.00	23.00
4	FRA	FRA	Tom MONNET	4	9	4	(11)	5	1	1	35.00	24.00
5	ISR	ISR	yoav omer	5	2	(13)	4	6	5	5	40.00	27.00
6	NZL	NZL	Finn Croft	(11)	6	3	2	7	6	8	43.00	32.00
7	JPN	JPN	Kensel Ikeda	3	7	2	7	(9)	8	7	43.00	34.00
8	HKG	HKG	Tsz Kit Chan	8	5	(9)	3	4	3	17	49.00	40.00
9	ITA	ITA	Ruggero Lo Mauro	(14)	8	8	10	8	9	13	70.00	56.00
10	SLO	SLO	toni Vrscaj	12	13	7	(14)	10	7	10	73.00	59.00
11	THA	THA	Thanatip Suebyubon	10	12	5	6	(13)	12	14	72.00	59.00
12	BRA	BRA	Daniel Pereira	2	(14)	11	12	14	13	11	77.00	63.00
13	MYA	MYA	Set Naing Aung Aung	7	(19)	16	5	16	14	15	92.00	73.00
14	ARU	ARU	Mack van den Eerenbeemt	16	10	(18)	18	11	15	12	100.00	82.00
15	TPE	TPE	Ting Yu Wang	(15)	15	12	13	15	10	18	98.00	83.00
16	USA	USA	Maximo Nores	(18)	11	15	15	18	16	9	102.00	84.00
17	TUN	TUN	Safouane Mami	17	17	17	(19)	19	17	6	112.00	93.00
18	VEN	VEN	Manu De La Rosa Hernandez	13	(21) OCS	14	17	12	18	21 OCS	116.00	95.00
19	PUR	PUR	Lucas Miranda	19	16	19	16	17	(20)	16	123.00	103.00
20	SVK	SVK	Martin Beránek	(20)	18	20	20	20	19	19	136.00	116.00