Railey wins bronze in Finn Class - Princesa Sofia

by US Sailing on 22 Mar 2008 U.S. Olympic Team member Zach Railey (Clearwater, FL) earned a spot on today’s podium in the Finn class at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Going into the last race of this International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 2 event, Railey was in danger of losing his third place position. Railey has previously said he likes pressure situations, and he proved himself in the last race. The necessity was to keep tabs on his closest competitor, Sweden’s Daniel Birgmark, and Railey controlled the results by keeping the Swede directly behind him for the whole race. By finishing that race in eighth with Birgmark in ninth, Railey clinched the bronze medal at this season’s kickoff regatta.

The Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta represents the beginning of the European sailing circuit and hosted over 900 sailors in eleven classes, including 46 Finns from 25 countries. By placing in the top three, Railey strengthened his brand as a competitor to watch in the countdown to the Olympic Games in Qingdao. Having clinched the berth to China before the final race of last fall’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Sailing, Railey didn’t even have to sail the last race at that regatta. But, with medals on the line at the Princess Sofia Trophy, he showed he can perform under pressure-- just like he said.

Great Britain’s Ben Ainslie, three-time Olympic medalist, handily won the regatta before the last race and was followed by Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic of Croatia. By finishing in third place, Railey posted a significant accomplishment of beating top-ranked Finn sailor Jonas Høgh-Christensen of Denmark, who finished seventh and also happens to be Railey’s training partner.

The United States had notable finishes in three other classes at the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta. In the Yngling class, Team Seven of Sally Barkow, Deb Capozzi and Carrie Howe came in fifth place out of 16 boats, only one point out of fourth place. Andrew Campbell finished ninth in the 107-boat Laser fleet, and the 49er team of Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast finished 12th of 52 boats, again just one point out of 11th place. Most of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members will be headed to Hyères, France for French Olympic Sailing week in mid-April.

About the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics
The US Sailing Team Alphagraphics recognizes the top three teams in all Olympic and Paralympic classes. The top athlete in each class is also a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for Sailing. The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.