The Battle for Olympic Qualification

by Jodie Bakewell-White on 17 Jan 2008 Australia, Korea , Russia and Thailand are now assured of a place in the men’s RS:X for the 2008 Olympic Games in the RS:X boardsurfing class.

Each has a sailor in the top half of the men’s fleet here at the 2008 RS:X World Championships and will now race in the gold fleet for the remaining races. A further fifteen nations yet to qualify will fight it out in the silver fleet for five places still available.

Steve Allen, the 2003 and 2007 Formula Wind Surfing champion. was the only one of five Australian’s competing here at Takapuna to make it through to gold fleet. Going into day four of the regatta Allen is lying 48th overall, his best result a 10th in race six.

Lee Byunggun earned the place for Korea , Alexey Tokarev the place for Russia and Ek Boonsawad the place for Thailand .

Desperately close to making gold fleet Oka Sulaksana from Indonesia just missed out by nine points and starts today the top placed sailor in the silver fleet.

Sulauksana is now racing against sailors from Croatia , Slovakia , Estonia , Lithuania , Venezuela , Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic , Colombia , Solvenia , Bulgaria , Sweden , Latvia , India and Ireland for the remaining five places to be decided.

Seven Olympic places are to be decided for women at this World Championship and twelve nations are here fighting for qualification. None of those twelve nations made it through to the women’s gold fleet so the battle will be fought in the silver fleet over the last three days of the regatta.

Thailand, Mexico , Hungary , Argentina , Russia , USA , Armenia , Cyprus , Turkey , Estonia , Uruguay and Croatia will fight it out in the women’s silver fleet.

Napalai Tansai of Thailand is the best placed of those and starts day four lying sixth in the silver fleet with a points total of 98. Demita Vega de Lille of Mexico is the next best placed at this stage – she is lying 12th in the silver fleet and has 107 points.