ISAF World Games Day 9

by Judith ISAF media on 19 May 2006 Another busy day on Lake Neusiedl sees the ISAF World Sailing Games nearing its conclusion in Austria, with just one more day for the leading crews to secure a top ten place and a spot in the decisive Medal Races this Saturday. If yesterday the French sailors shone, today saw the Aussies fight back, with the race for national honours now also hitting fever pitch.

The final series is nearing its conclusion in Austria, with just one day to go before the top ten competitors in each fleet go forward to the decisive Medal Races this Saturday.

Strong performances in the Laser, both 470 events and the Hobie Tiger mean that Australia is right back in the running for the King’s Trophy, awarded to the best performing nation at the World Sailing Games. France still just has the edge though, and lays one point clear of at the top of the standings with two days of racing to go. With the final series now well past their halfway mark, things are still incredibly tight at the top, with the Women’s RS: X fleet seeing a lead of more than ten points and five of the leaders only two points or less ahead.

Today saw a variety of conditions around Lake Neusiedl, with tricky winds meaning the trend across the fleets is towards a high scoring series, where consistency looks likely to be the key word.

After being battered by the wind and the rain yesterday, the RS: X windsurfers were faced with a completely different set of challenges today. After an hour and a half long wait on the water for the predicted breeze to materialize, just before 1230 the warning signal for the men sounded and racing got underway in a southerly breeze of five to seven knots.

The pin end was favoured at the start with overall leader Maksym OBEREMKO (UKR) leading off to the left in pumping conditions. However the light conditions were ideal for the smaller frame of 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion Lukasz GRODZICKI (POL) and at second windward mark he rounded just ahead of OBEREMKO. GRODZICKI held on during the downwind to take the bullet and by far his best result of the series so far, whilst Ricardo SANTOS (BRA) passed OBEREMKO to take second and Tom ASHLEY (NZL) caught a gust downwind to gain almost ten places and take third ahead of the Ukrainian.


In similar conditions for race two another of the smaller guys came out on top, with Shahar ZUBARI (ISR) claiming the bullet after going right at the start. GRODZICKI completed a great day to finish second, whilst Julien BONTEMPS (FRA) took third and with it the overall lead as OBEREMKO, who again went left at the start, crossed the line in 14th. Meanwhile fourth for ASHLEY puts him second overall, with OBEREMKO dropping to third. With a 1, 2 day GRODZICKI moves up to eighth overall, a terrific performance from the 17 year old who says his aim is, 'To be in the top ten and qualify for the Medal Race for the first time in my career.'

Whilst GRODZICKI was the star in the men’s fleet today, Qiubin CHEN (CHN) was the undoubted number one in the women’s. Lying second overall last night, she immediately seized the opportunity given her by overall leader Olga MASLIVETS (UKR), when the Ukrainian went OCS in the day’s opening race. Playing the left of the course from the start, CHEN already had a 20 second lead by the first mark and was never looked like surrendering the lead from then on.

Marta BIALECKA (POL) followed her in second place with Japan’s Yasuko KOSUGE third. CHEN again went left for the race six start, but this time the right seemed favoured and Flavia TARTAGLINI (ITA) rounded the top mark first, with CHEN back in fourth. TARTAGLINI held on for victory, whilst CHEN fought her way to second and a 16 point overall lead, with Lee KORZITS (ISR) third.
CHEN broke onto the windsurfing scene this year after winning at Sail Melbourne.

She puts her success down to a simple formula - ‘training’ - adding that Yin JIAN’s (CHN) Olympic silver medal in Athens has been a major inspiration.

Behind CHEN in the overall standings is MASLIVETS, only dropping one place despite her OCS and a 13th in race six. 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion Blanca MANCHON (ESP) lays third overall.

Aussie Stay on Top in Hobie Battle

With two to ten knots of breeze across the Hobie Tiger gold fleet, overnight race leader Darren BUNDOCK and Glen ASHBY (AUS) continued on their good form comfortably winning the first race today ahead of Chris RASHLEY and Marcus LYNCH (GBR) second. In the second race of the day BUNDOCK and ASHBY were over early and had to return to the start. They rounded the first mark in second last but fought their way back to tenth place to maintain their over lead.

After a bad morning race, double Olympic gold medallists Roman HAGARA and Hans Peter STEINACHER (AUT) showed his skill winning the race. Though the day really belonged to Oskar JOHANSSON and Kevin STITTLE (CAN), who were by the most consistent with a third and fourth. They lay third overall, just a point behind Xavier REVIL and Christophe ESPANGNON (FRA).

In the women’s Hobie 16 fleet overnight leaders Belinda HAYWARD and Kim WILKINSON-DAVIES (RSA) made a tactically mistake on the first leg which cost them 13 positions at the first mark. They recovered somewhat to sail into seventh place. Meanwhile Hobie 16 Women’s World Champion Marie DUVIGNAC and Pauline THEVENOT (FRA) powered away for another win. In the second race HAYWARD and WILKINSON-DAVIES fought back and then sailed away from the fleet to win and still keep the gold jersey. Kerstin WICHARDT and Anja HAFKE (GER) continued their consistent form and lie second overall.

France Heads up Lasers

No change at the top in the Laser fleet, with the dominant force from yesterday, Thomas LE BRETON (FRA), putting in an equally convincing performance today, placing 2, 8.

Despite finding the conditions shifty today Tom SLINGSBY (AUS) said 'everything went smoothly.' It certainly did, as SLINGSBY upped his game to place 3, 1 and eject team mate Brendan CASEY (AUS) from the silver medal spot. SLINGSBY now sits just one point behind LE BRETON. CASEY ’s fall today came as he found himself at the back of the fleet twice in a row, posting 34, and 36, to plummet down into eighth overall.

The discard which came in after race four, puts LE BRETON and SLINGSBY in their own game considerably ahead of the fleet counting single digit points.

Holding at third is Diego ROMERO (ARG), who placed 8 and 17, and continues a strong run of form.

Disappointment for fellow antipodean Michael BULLOT (NZL) who set himself a points challenge yesterday by not competing in race 1, and today placed two double digit results. 'I am disappointed. I expected better results,' he commented after today’s races in which he placed 23, 15 to sit in twelfth overall.

Andreas GERITZER (AUT) was 'reasonably satisfied' with today’s results of 17 and 5, which see him closing in on the top ten places to secure a place through to the final Medal Race on Saturday. 'I am happy with 11 overall, but wish I could delete the OCS in race two,' he commented as he came ashore.

Yesterday, Paul GOODISON (GBR) anticipated a high scoring regatta, and it is proving so, aside from the top two, LE BRETON and SLINGSBY .

DE TURCKHEIM Moves In On RAILEY

Over in the Laser Radial, the results are a lot closer, with the top five within nine points of each other. Sophie DE TURCKHEIM placed her second top five result in today’s race four and has shifted up into second overall, but it is Paige RAILEY (USA) who continues to lead the charge at the front of the 36 boat gold fleet.

RAILEY found herself in unfamiliar territory in both races four and five, buried deep in the fleet, but her points lead from yesterday provided the buffer to remain in first overall. These two are frequently head to head at the front of fleets, but it is RAILEY who holds the greater