Rio roundup - It's the only game in town.

16/08/2016

The latest sailing news from Asia and the world.
17 Aug 2016

Rio roundup - It's the only game in town.

Almost at the end of the Olympic Regatta, and its down to the short strokes and the medals now. There's still a whole raft of medals to hand out, even if a couple of them are decided already. Nobody has expired from being exposed to the Guanabara Bay soup, and in terms of range of conditions, Rio 2016 has produced a sailing regatta of epic proportions – frustrating sometimes, but thrilling at others.

Here in Hong Kong the coverage of Olympic sailing has been absolutely atrocious. The highlights on the telly have delivered Beach Volleyball (can't imagine why), Handball (probably best left in the school playground), Badminton (no surprise) and Ping Pong (something to do at the local Youth Club on a wet afternoon). And today TVB even stooped as low as Synchronised Swimming. There was about 3 seconds of sailing, but it was a Nacra 17 and it was moving fast, so I missed it when I blinked.

Fortunately, there are VPNs. BBC Sport did a much better job – fewer ladies twirling ribbons, and more events decided by a stopwatch, a finish line, a tape measure or a target. If anyone would like to enter into a conversation about which ‘sports' could usefully be dropped from the Olympic schedule, I'm game. You will find me at the far end of the bar at the RHKYC.

Here are the current sailing standings – the top three in each class, followed by the Asian entries. An asterisk* indicates that the result is final and the medal race has been completed.

Standing by on 72

*RS:X Windsurfer, Men (36 entries)
1 NED
2 GBR
3 FRA
8 HKG
13 CHN
15 JPN
29 THA
34 SGP

*RS:X Windsurfer, Women (26)
1 FRA
2 CHN
3 RUS
17 HKG
18 THA
20 JPN

Laser, Men (37)
1 CRO
2 AUS
3 NZL
13 KOR
20 SGP
35 MAL
37 THA

Laser Radial, Women (37)
1 NED
2 DEN
3 IRL
18 CHN
20 JPN
26 SGP
32 THA

49er FX, Women (20)
1 ESP
2 NZL
3 BRA
17 SGP
20 JPN

49er, Men (20)
1 NZL
2 GER
3 AUS
12 JPN

Nacra 17 (Mixed)
1 ARG
2 ITA
3 AUT
19 SGP

470 Women (20)
1 GBR
2 USA
3 AUT
6 JPN
17 CHN
20 SGP

470 Men (26)
1 CRO
2 AUS
3 GRE
14 KOR
20 CHN

Finn (23)
1 GBR
2 SLO
3 CRO
22 CHN

Guy Nowell, Asia Editor

Rio Olympics – Four Medal Races set for Sugarloaf
Andy Rice - World Sailing,

It's another warm day with 26 degrees Celsius set for race time. With very light airs forecast from somewhere in the south, the prospect of getting today's racing away on time at 1300 hours looks a bit touch and go.... [more]

Rio Olympics – Dobson and Ainsworth ready for final 49erFX push
RYA,

The Brits went into racing sitting sixth overall, and an excellent second in the day's opening race followed by fifth and ninth placed finishes from their three races today has seen them move up a place to fifth overall, 13 points off bronze medal position.... [more]

Rio Olympics - Outteridge and Jensen on THAT squall
Richard Gladwell, Sail-world.com/nz,

Just after the finish of the second race in the 49er fleet, on Day 8 of the 2016 Rio Olympic regatta, a tremendous squall struck the 49er fleet, which was sailing on the Copacabana course well out into the Atlantic Ocean. 2012 Olympic Gold medalist in the 49er, Nathan Outteridge described what happened.... [more]

Rio Olympics – 49ers' best day keeps medal dreams alive
RYA,

The Brits now sit in the top 10 for the first time in their regatta, moving from 13th overall overnight to seventh, thanks to scores of fifth, sixth and ninth from their three races today.... [more]

Saxton and Groves bid to end on Rio Olympics high
RYA,

Heading into the race, the Brits sit in eighth place overall, with 19 points separating them and Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT), currently in bronze medal position.... [more]

Rio Olympics – Thompson and Young ready for second Medal Race attempt
RYA,

The Laser Radials were scheduled to race first, with the Lasers following an hour later, but the women were held ashore for over two and half hours as breath-like wind and glassy water blighted the Pão de Açucar (Sugarloaf) course.... [more]

Airlie Beach Race Week – Blowing dogs off chains
Di Pearson,

The weather gods turned their wrath on competitors at Airlie Beach Race Week today, the normally ‘Tropical Festival of Sails' was not living up to that moniker, instead winds gusting 35 plus hit the Whitsundays.... [more]

Finn focus at Rio 2016 - More tales of the unexpected
Robert Deaves,

2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games - Two outcomes were expected out of this Olympics: that Giles Scott would win the Finn gold medal and that the unexpected would happen. Well both have already happened and we still have the final day to go.... [more]

Rio 2016 - Images from the strange day on the Medal Race course
Richard Gladwell, Sail-world.com/nz,

After being delayed for three hours the Womens singlehander, Laser Radial, fleet was sent onto the the Medal Race course on Guanabara Bay, late this afternoon at around 3.45pm. The fleet drifted around for 15 minutes or so on glassy water, then a breeze line appeared around the channel side of the Sugarloaf at the entrance to Guanabara Bay.... [more]

Scott poised for finest hour in Rio Olympics
RYA,

With the race worth double points, even if Scott was disqualified and scored the worst possible result of 22 points, he still couldn't be beaten to gold. The race is scheduled to get underway from 5pm BST on the Pa?o de Ac?ucar (Sugarloaf) course.... [more]

Rio 2016 - Kiwis and Brits to appeal penalties in 470 Mens and Womens
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz,

Top rated crews from Britain and New Zealand are set down to appeal their starting penalties incurred in the first race of the Mens and Womens 470, sailed yesterday. The Race Committee knocked out a total of six crews - three Mens and three in the Womens in Race 6 of the Olympic sailing regatta in Rio de Janeiro.... [more]

Rio Olympics – Croatia chasing its first sailing gold
Andy Rice - World Sailing,

With just seven knots breeze forecast from the north, the prospect of getting today's racing away on time at 1300 hours looks shaky. It's going to be the hottest day for a while, with 28 degrees Celsius set for race time.... [more]

Rio 2016 - Images from the Mens RS:X Medal Race
Richard Gladwell,

Sail-World's NZ Editor, Richard Gladwell, was on the water at the Medal Race for the RS:X class won before the race by Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED) without needing points from the Medal Race. Nick Dempsey (GBR) was second on a similar basis.... [more]

2016, Rio De Janeiro, the Olympic champions and the Grand Finale
RS:X Class,

Four years of training, four years of dedication, four years of relentless hard work and it all came down to arguably one of the best medal races in history. The men's final reach separated bronze from fifth by barely a few board lengths whilst on the women's course, the podium continuously shuffled throughout the entire race.... [more]

Dateline Rio - Boulevard of Broken Dreams or the Stairway to Heaven-
Richard Gladwell,

The Mixed Zone at the Rio Olympic Regatta was certainly true to its name this evening, with some of the sailors passing through having seriously improved their regatta, and for others a steep climb to the podium just got steeper.... [more]

Rio Olympics – Charline Picon wins gold in Women's Windsurfer
Andy Rice - World Sailing,

Of the ten competitors in the double-points final, seven had a shot at gold. Picon started badly but moved through to second by the first mark.... [more]

Action shots from Day 5 of the Rio Olympics
Sailing Energy / World Sailing,

Sailing Energy / World Sailing provides this gallery of images from day five... [more]

Rio 2016 - Lars Grael talks trash and Guanabara Bay
Reuters,

Lars Grael, twice an Olympic bronze medallist for Brazil, feared that sailors would encounter garbage and plastic bags in races at the Guanabara Bay sailing venue on Friday.... [more]

Rio 2016 - Sailors talk of Life at the Extreme on the Atlantic Ocean
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/NZL,

The 470 crews were suffering the mixed emotions of survival of an extreme test by nature, the cold, and for some elation at their placings, after Thursday's battle for survival. In conditions that looked more out of the Volvo Ocean Race, than an Olympic sailing regatta, crews battled 20kt plus winds and Atlantic Ocean rollers that towered up to four metres.... [more]

Netherlands and Britain wrap up gold and silver in Men's Windsurfer
Andy Rice,

2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games - It was a light and frustrating day for many in the Olympic sailing competition, but not for the London 2012 gold and silver medallists in the Men's Windsurfer, with the Dutch and the British wrapping up Rio 2016 gold and silver before the Medal Race on Sunday.... [more]

Rio Olympics high resolution tidal currents now available online
Tidetech,

In 2012 Tidetech provided a tidal model for the Australian Olympic team who had huge success, claiming the dual honours of top sailing team and top Australian Olympic sport.... [more]

Rio 2016 - Third image gallery of 470's braving the Atlantic Ocean
Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com NZL,

Third image gallery from racing on Day 4 in the Mens and Womens 470 class on the Niteroi course in the Atlantic Ocean - sailing in 3-4 metre swells and 20kt plus winds... [more]

The Vendée Globe and North America – Life and death
Olivier Bourbon / M&M,

Out of the thirty skippers registered for the next Vendée Globe, nine are not French. Ten nations are represented including the United States with Rich Wilson, who will be setting sail on 6th November for his second attempt at the non-stop solo round the world race. We shall also see Conrad Colman, who has dual nationality (USA/New Zealand)... [more]

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