Olympic Test Event at Qingdao, China - Overall
by Lindsey Bell, RYA 23 Aug 2007 11:59 PDT
15-23 August 2007
Great Britain’s Yngling and Laser sailors added two more gold medals to the British stockpile at the 2007 Olympic Test Event in Qingdao on Thursday (23 August), with the nation’s final medal count standing at five gold and one silver.
Double Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, 49er World Champions Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, and windsurfer Bryony Shaw set the standard on the first of the two finals days on Wednesday, with Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield adding silver in the 470 men’s event.
But on Thursday, Laser European Champion Paul Goodison and Yngling World Champions Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson ensured that the golden run continued for Skandia Team GBR on the final day of racing at the 2008 Olympic sailing venue.
Heading into the medal race four points ahead of Rasmus Myrgren in second place, Goodison lost sight of his rival and the Swede pulled away to put himself in the gold medal position early in the race.
But the Yorkshireman, who also clinched gold at the 2006 Olympic Test Event, fought back on the second upwind leg to put just one boat between himself and Myrgren and retain the overall lead.
“It was a pretty stressful race out there today,” said Goodison. “I wanted to keep close to the Swedish boat, which proved tough in the fickle wind. I managed to get close to him on the second beat, and maintained my distance.
“Winning here has given me a lot of confidence heading into next year, and hopefully my performance here will help me get selected to come back for the Olympics itself. I’d like to think that after doing well twice in these unique conditions, I’ve got a pretty good chance of doing well in next year’s Olympic regatta."
The medal race for the Yngling class was just as dramatic, with just one point separating the American leaders Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi, from the British crew Ayton, Webb and Wilson. The USA team looked to have to the edge over Ayton, Webb and Wilson on the first upwind leg, but upon reaching the first mark they had to pull out of the race after learning that they’d had a premature start.
The pressure on the Skandia Team GBR crew then eased, allowing Ayton, Webb and Wilson to sail a safe race, finishing second behind the Russian boat and taking overall victory by nine points.
“The tide was a big factor in the race,” Ayton explained. “It was very tough to control and we had to be careful not to be over the line at the start; unfortunately, the USA team were, so they got pulled out at the top mark.
“We are very pleased and very excited – we’ve had a great year, and are on a roll. One win leads to another, and we hope to carry this momentum into the Olympics next year. We haven’t been off the podium once yet this year so we have to be confident that we will be the ones representing Great Britain here in 12 months time.”
The Olympic Test Event also ended on a high for Charlotte Dobson – the youngest member of the British team here in Qingdao – who punched out a race win in the Laser Radial medal race to finish the regatta in fifth place overall.
“I’m delighted and so proud of the team’s results here in Qingdao, which have surpassed all our expectations,” said RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park. “The sailors certainly didn’t have it easy, with some really tricky conditions and competition to content with, and they had to dig deep and grind out some strong performances when it really mattered.”
Although spirits in the British camp are understandably high, Park warns that they won’t have it all their own way in 2008. “Of course it would of course be amazing to be in a similar situation when we return in 12 months’ time, but there’s a long way to go between now and then, and certainly we’ve seen a number of countries upping their game for this event.
“Now’s not a time for complacency, and we need to use every moment between now and the Olympics next year to ensure that we’re on top of our game and that the team is in the best possible shape.”
For more news and information from the event, visit www.skandiateamgbr.com/events/olytest/olytest.htm and www.2007qdregatta.com