Please select your home edition
Edition
Sea Sure 2025

ISAF Sailing Worlds- Tears of joy at Womens Olympic Match Racing news

by ISAF on 14 Dec 2011
Goncalves wins a crucial race against Tamara Echegoyen - ISAF Sailing World Championships Perth 2011 Alastair Hyde-Tetley/Perth 2011
Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships - Portugal’s Women's Match Racers, Rita Goncalves, Mariana Lobato and Diana Neves, have secured a place for their country at the Olympic sailing competition at Weymouth and Portland next July.

After 80 flights and 320 Women’s Match Races, it all boiled down to the last race of the Round Robins for the eighth and final spot.

With eight race wins Goncalves occupied the final nations place ahead of the final flight. Silja Lehtinen (FIN) was one point behind her and required a victory in her final race against Nicky Souter (AUS) to finish level with Goncalves. And after beating Goncalves earlier on in the regatta it would have been Lehtinen who took the final spot.

But in the last race Lehtinen was comprehensively defeated by Souter sparking celebrations in the Portuguese camp as the girls qualified their country. Holding back the tears after the news, a near speechless Goncalves said, 'My dream was to go to the Olympics and I think it came true.'

Goncalves’ crew of Lobato and Neves watched nervously from the grandstand and jumped for joy when Souter crossed the line ahead of Lehtinen. The Skipper said, 'I don’t like to depend on the others but I didn’t see the race because of too much stress.

'After five days we were stressed and it all came down to today. Now it’s a dream come true that we will be sailing at London 2012.'

Rival Australian skippers Olivia Price and Nicky Souter both qualified Australia for the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition as they finished second and third in the second Round Robin and advance to the Quarter Finals of the competition.


Price said, 'I can’t really describe it, we are so stoked with how things went today. Qualifying the nation is predominantly what we came here to do and tick, achieved. I guess it hasn’t really sunk in that much.'

Souter added, 'Not only did we qualify the country but we’ve made the Quarter Finals which was a big goal. We found out we qualified with two races to spare so it was a big relief.'

Stephanie Hazard qualified New Zealand and Anna Kjellberg made sure that a Swedish match race team will be on the start line at London 2012 after a steady day on the water. But the big celebrations will be within the Portuguese camp tonight.

The four nations today will join France, the Netherlands, Russia and the USA as teams who have qualified from Perth 2011.


As hosts Great Britain directly qualify for one quota in each event with the 2010 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship winning trio of Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor already named as part of British squad for next year.

The Women's Match Racing International Country Olympic Qualifying Regatta at Key Biscayne Yacht Club (KBYC), Florida, USA from February 1-5 2012, will be the final chance for the final three Women's Match Racing teams to qualify their country for the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition.

The Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships website will bring you results, tracking, live updates and all the latest news both on and off the ISAF website

Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP BOTTOMTrofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

Related Articles

The Ocean's Logbook amplifies global voices
A digital survey that looks beyond cold statistics to capture real stories A powerful new campaign designed to capture the world's emotional connection to the ocean is being launched today ahead of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France in June.
Posted on 27 May
CIC Normandy Channel Race day 3
Another 6 retirements after the entire day in meaty conditions The 16th CIC Normandy Channel Race fleet has spent the entire day navigating meaty conditions. The 25-30 knots of SW'ly wind and heavy seas in the area have made it a real slog to gain access to the Wolf Rock mark.
Posted on 27 May
RORC Myth of Malham concludes
French mastery and family firepower light up the podium First held in 1958, the Myth of Malham Race has built a rich legacy for more than six decades of offshore racing. The 2025 edition proudly joins the ranks of its most memorable chapters.
Posted on 27 May
Grand Soleil Cup 2025 First Stage Recap
Nearly 40 Grand Soleil yachts came together for a weekend of sailing and conviviality From May 23rd to 25th, the waters of Argentario hosted the first leg of the 23rd edition of the Grand Soleil Cup, organized by Cantiere del Pardo with the support of the Circolo Nautico e della Vela Argentario and the Marina di Cala Galera.
Posted on 27 May
SP80 kiteboat reaches a top speed of over 58 knots
100 km/h barrier is smashed in Leucate The SP80 kiteboat has reached a top speed of over 58 knots, or 108 km/h. This new personal best makes SP80 the second fastest sailboat ever recorded, behind Vestas Sailrocket II and its 68.01-knot top speed.
Posted on 27 May
Italian SailGP Team acquired by investors
The consortium includes Hollywood royalty, Anne Hathaway SailGP has today announced that the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, has officially been acquired by a consortium of accomplished investors and sports industry leaders, including Hollywood royalty, Anne Hathaway.
Posted on 27 May
Armstrong Foils: On tour - Home of Armstrong II
Join America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders on the tour of NZ's Far North Join three times America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders Olivia Jenkins, Naumi Eychenne, Bowien van der Linden, Cash Berzolla, and Reo Stevens, on the Home of Armstrong Tour II, as they explore NZ's Far North.
Posted on 27 May
America's Cup entries open on Sunday
A Cup in turmoil - has Grant Dalton dodged a bullet with the new Cup organisation? America's Cup gets underway in Rome with Round 2 of the official welcoming ceremonies on Wednesday in Naples. Emirates Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton apprears to have dodged a bullet with the formation of of new AC organising body.
Posted on 26 May
Italian PM welcomes America's Cup in Rome
Prime Minister Meloni set out a bold vision for the regeneration planned around AC38 The magnificent setting of the Casino del Bel Respiro, commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1644, in the grounds of Villa Pamphilj, was the outstanding and historic setting for the formal presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup.
Posted on 26 May
Kai Marks Dasent completes 38.1nm fundraising sail
Raising Funds for Union Island Secondary School and Vincy Sailing On Saturday, May 24th, 14-year-old sailor Kai Marks Dasent completed an impressive solo sail from his home St. Vincent to Union Island, covering 38.1 nautical miles in 6 hours and 3 minutes, with an average speed of 6.3 knots.
Posted on 26 May