Please select your home edition
Edition

Paralympics London 2012 - Lucas ready to sail for gold

by RYA on 6 Sep 2012
Helena Lucas, 2.4mR sailing on day 5 of the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition David Staley - IFDS
At the London 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition, Britain’s Helena Lucas will be sailing for 2.4mR class gold tomorrow after guaranteeing at least a silver medal on day five at Weymouth and Portland. Redhill-raised Lucas – the only woman in the one-person keelboat fleet – currently sits in first overall with a nine-point cushion over Heiko Kroger (GER) in second with one race to come tomorrow. She can’t do any worse than silver after eking out an unassailable points advantage over Thierry Schmitter (NED) in bronze medal position.

The Portland-based sailor picked up scores of eighth and fifth in stronger breezes between 12-15 knots in Portland Harbour today, which saw her overnight lead eroded by two points by her German rival. Despite her commanding position, Lucas is taking nothing for granted ahead of the biggest race of her life.

She said: 'Having led for most of the week I’ve obviously got my eye firmly set on the gold medal but I’m not too excited yet as I still know there is a job to do. I’ve got a nice points’ cushion so I will go out there, enjoy the race and keep my eye on Heiko.

'I don’t think the boys in the fleet were too happy at the beginning of the week with a girl leading! But I think they have got used to the fact I’m up there and sailing really well. I think they are resigned to the fact they have got a bit of a job on their hands to beat me tomorrow.

'It was a hard today. I was actually really quick on the water but in the first race it was really shifty and I struggled a little bit to get a handle on the shifts. Maybe I got a little bit caught out by following where Heiko was going and neither of us did a good job at the first beat.

'I then learnt the lessons from that race and realised I’ve just got to sail my own race and forget about the competition and get on with it. I had a really solid second race but it was really tight racing, one minute I would be leading and then the next minute it wouldn’t be looking so good!'

Britain hasn’t won a full Paralympic sailing medal since the sport joined the full Paralympic Games programme at Sydney 2000. But with the British SKUD two-person keelboat team of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell also guaranteed at least a bronze medal and the three-person Sonar team also in a strong position to claim silverware, Lucas hopes it ends up being a very happy Games for ParalympicsGB.

She added: 'It would be absolutely fantastic if we could medal in all three classes, amazing considering where we were in Beijing four years ago. It’s just all the hard work and support we have had behind us that is why we are at where we are today. The help from all the Olympic guys as well has been fantastic and I think these reasons are why we are in a position to deliver three medals.

'Tonight we will just have to watch another DVD. It might have to be ‘Wimbledon’ again, as that’s when I got my two firsts this week, but it all depends if the rest of the team can survive another viewing of that film! It will definitely be a chilled out evening with an early night and go out tomorrow and look forward to a fantastic race.'

Sailing first took place as demonstration sport at Atlanta 1996 in the Sonar. The British crew of Andy Cassell, Kevin Curtis and Tony Downs won gold.

The London 2012 Paralympic Sailing Regatta runs from Saturday 1st September to Thursday 6th September.

Two races per day are scheduled for each class from 1st to 5th September, with one race for each class on the final day (6th September). Racing is scheduled to start at 11am RYA London 2012 website

Related Articles

RYA Connected Live on 10th October
Looking back at successes and challenges of 2024, exploring key issues and opportunities for clubs Join us for RYA Connected Live where we will look back at the successes and challenges of 2024, and explore some of the key issues and opportunities for clubs and other affiliates.
Posted on 8 Oct
RYA Racing Rules of Sailing 2025 - 2028 out now
Spiral bound waterproof paperback (RRS25), eBook (E-RRS25), Audiobook (A-RRS25) Released every four years, the RYA is proud to announce the newest edition of the RYA Racing Rules of Sailing (2025-2028) outlining the compulsory rules for sailors competing around the world.
Posted on 17 Sep
More sports join the call for clean water
The CWSA has also engaged with major water companies Almost half of GB's total medal haul at Paris 2024 came from water-based sports with 18% won by athletes who train outdoors in rivers, canals, lakes, and open water. Yet we risk losing this if we don't act now to tackle the problem with water quality.
Posted on 13 Sep
Nominations open for new RYA Awards
Celebrate those making a real difference in our boating community Nominations are now open for the new look RYA Awards, recognising the outstanding contributions made by individuals and RYA affiliated organisations throughout the UK.
Posted on 3 Jun
Sports come together for clean water
Seven national governing bodies of water-based sports form an alliance Seven national governing bodies of water-based sports have announced they're coming together to form an alliance calling for clean open water across the UK.
Posted on 30 Apr
Exclusive Southampton Boat Show limited time offer
Free ticket for RYA members Southampton International Boat Show, Britain's biggest and best festival of boating, is back and RYA members can take advantage of an exclusive FREE ticket, plus up to two half-price tickets.
Posted on 10 Apr
RYA Yachtmaster of the Year announced
Presented to 24-year-old Freddie Jablonski The RYA's President, HRH The Princess Royal, presented 24-year-old Freddie Jablonski with the prestigious RYA Yachtmaster® of the Year award at the annual stakeholder lunch at Trinity House in London.
Posted on 12 Feb
Hundreds attend the RYA Training Conference 2024
The event, held in Oxford, was also made accessible for over 200 virtual attendees worldwide The 2024 RYA Training Conference supported by Gallagher, proved to be a sell-out success, attracting 250 delegates from over 130 RYA recognised training centres, 21 exhibitors, and 20 presenters.
Posted on 31 Jan
Sustainability at Formula Kite Europeans
The Championships have now been awarded the world's leading sustainability certification The organisers of the Formula Kite European Championships, held in Portsmouth last year, have been awarded the Platinum Clean Regatta Award, by conservation organisation, Sailors for the Sea.
Posted on 24 Jan
Inspiring volunteers met by The Princess Royal
Contributions recognised at RYA Volunteer Awards The invaluable contributions of volunteers across sailing and boating communities have been celebrated by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, President of the RYA, and guests at an awards ceremony in central London.
Posted on 14 Nov 2023