Malaysia puts up a good fight at 1st Asian Youth Games.

by Dawn Liu, SingaporeSailing on 5 Jul 2009 Excellent southerly winds saw racing get off to a start right on time on the fourth day of racing, with the windsurfers starting spot on at noon and the Byte CII boys following soon after. Two races for both Bic Techno fleets and the Byte boys followed almost back to back, with the Byte CII girls launching later in the day due to some delays on shore.

An afternoon storm saw some hesitation from the Race Committee on whether to send the sailors in after the first race for the girls. Safety of course won out and AP over H was hoisted to signal a postponement on shore. It was lowered shortly after, however, with the storm abruptly changing course to leave the waters just off the National Sailing Centre lightning and rain free. This allowed the Byte CII girls to complete their second race for the day.

Byte CII Boys?
Singapore had another great day in the Byte boys event, with Darren Choy winning both of the back-to-back races. This now puts him in a strong position for the overall crown: with two races to go and not a discard used yet, Choy needs only a fifth in the next race to bring the gold medal home. Thailand's Supakon Pongwichean took second in both races. He is also relatively safe in his position, as third-place Muhamad Amirul Shafiq is not likely to catch up to him in points. The former currently holds 14 points while the latter has 30.

Byte CII Girls?
Although Thailand and Singapore took the respective line honours for races 8 and 9 in the Byte girls fleet, it was Malaysia's Khairunneeta Afendy's sailing that deserves a special mention for her plucky performance in the face of challenges.??Due to a medical incident in the morning, Afendy arrived at the centre and launched later than the other girls, resulting in her starting three minutes after the rest of the fleet. Nevertheless, the Malaysian showed how sailing is all about never giving up, as she chipped away up the fleet to finish third.

Immediately after the race, she was faced with yet another setback as a boat collided with her from behind, causing severe damage to her boat. Again, Afendy fought back, borrowing her teammate's boat for the next race, and came in second. Credit is certainly owed to this determined young lady, whose results today bring her one point shy of the bronze medal, while Singapore and Thailand are both still in the running for the gold.

Windsurfing Boys
?With three races to go, there is already no dispute that China will take the gold in the Bic Techno boys event. Wei Bipeng holds a score of 7 points after discarding a race - not that he needs it - and even if he comes last from now on, he will win the regatta. An amazing feat for Wei, who at just shy of 14 years old is the youngest in the fleet.

Meanwhile second, third, and fourth are all tied on points, which makes it an exciting battle between South Korean Kim Chaneui, Thai Vantana Nakaret, and Kwok Tsz Him from Hong Kong going into the last three races. They currently all hold 21 points.

Windsurfing Girls?
Siripon Kaewduang-Ngam looks like a shoo-in for gold in the girls' Bic Techno class. Now at 8 points, she is clear ahead of China's Hao Xiumei, who pulled her socks up after three fourths to take a second again in race 8. To bring back the coveted medal, Kaewduang-Ngam only needs to ensure she doesn't come last in the next two races!

Meanwhile Hao Xiumei will have to watch her back before trying to topple the Thai, because Audrey Yong from Singapore is only three points shy of her. Currently sitting in bronze, you can be sure Singapore's windsurfer will be setting her sights one colour brighter!

With two races to go for the Byte CIIs and there for the Bic Technos, racing has reached a high intensity with many medals still undecided because of the close points score. Thailand and China are still points shy of each other in the battle for the nation's trophy, and it is the final result of their sailors who will determine which country pulls ahead.

Racing resumes on July 5, with one race for the Byte CIIs and two for the Bic Technos. The action will again be covered via live blog here on the 1st Asian Youth Games Official Website www.ayg2009.sg