Kieler Woche 2015

Kieler Woche 2015 - Day 5

by Hermann Hell 25 Jun 2015 06:44 AEST 20-28 June 2015

Annemiek Bekkering and Daniel Bramervaer (NED) dominate as a mixed team in the 49erFX on day 5 of Kieler Woche 2015 © Otto Kasch / Kieler Woche

The Germans played their trump cards. At the end of the races for the Olympic and Paralympic classes, the German top teams did defend their top positions. It was not just the Nacra17 team Paul Kohlhoff/Carolina Werner (Kiel) stepping onto the podium with their clear victory, but also Tobias Schadewaldt (Oldenburg) in the Laser and Justus Schmidt/Max Boehme (Kiel) in the 49er winning the Kieler Woche. With a strong last run, Heiko Kroeger (Ammersbek) could also win again in the 2.4mR. He now has won the Kieler Woche eight times. In total, the team of the German Sailors Association DSV did win four times gold, twice silver and once bronze.

Kohlhoff/Werner only had to show up for their Medal Race. Their lead on the second-placed team was too large to have been pushed off rank one anymore. But the duo did not have in mind "just to participate". They did confidently win another time and did cheer about their first Kieler Woche triumph. "This week was just brilliant. We were indeed happy to be sailing in Kiel again", said Carolina Werner, while helmsman Kohlhoff was quarrelling a bit with the bumpy manoeuvres.

But Tobias Schadewaldt (Oldenburg) had to fight in the Medal Race. In direct duel with Michael Hansen from Denmark he did screw up the first upwind, but then got back on course and finally could decide the race for him. "I did not find my rhythm for the wind shifts on the first upwind. On the second, I just relied on my senses, since I know the territory inside and out. That worked well then. The week was the perfect preparation for the Worlds in Canada, where I'll be flying to tomorrow", said Schadewaldt, who had worked on his perfect condition and strength at the Lake Garda with sailing star Robert Scheidt for ten days before coming to Kiel.

The 49er crews delivered a big finishing show for the audience. The leading team Justus Schmidt/Max Boehme had enjoyed the party with friends and supporters on the evening before, but for the final, it was a serious game again, which was dominated by extreme wind shifts, which turned the fleet upside down again and again. In the live ranking of the Kieler Woche TV, the sailors from Kiel had even now and then lost the top position in the total ranking. But in the end, the fifth place was enough for the victory, since their strongest competitors, friends and training partners Erik Heil/Thomas Ploessel could not catch up enough points in the Medal Race, although they were second over the finish line. "We did not intend to have such a close race in the end", commented Justus Schmidt. His crew Boehme was however always sure during the race, that they would make it.

The mixed team Annemiek Bekking/ Daniel Bramervaer (the Netherlands) in the open class FX did leave the German top crews behind. Leonie Meyer/Elena Stoffers (Osnabrueck) did win silver, followed by Jule and Lotta Goerge (Kiel) on rank three. The ungrateful fourth place went to Victoria Jurczok/Anika Lorenz (Berlin).

Lara Vadlau/Jolanta Orga (Austria) did win in the 470. The current European and World Champions did win the Medal Race just as confident as all the other races before and did win Kieler Woche Gold with the ideal point score of eight victories in eight races. The Croation Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic were leading the men's fleet and did round off his triumph with a victory in the Medal Race of the best ten crews. Denis Karpak, ranked in first place, did defend his Kieler Woche title from 2014 in the Finn. Rank two behind the Norwegian Anders Pedersen was enough in the final. The best German Finn sailor was Phillip Kasueske (Berlin), who became sixth. US-American Laser Radial sailor Erika Reineke did take the chance in the Medal Race to win the title. Tina Mihelic from Croatia, who had been confidently leading the fleet until then, did break her top last. With the final counting twice, Mihelic was lacking five points in the end for the victory. Despite winning six races, gold was lost.

Heiko Kroeger could relax in the 2.4mR after crossing the finish line in the last race. He did start into the day by winning twice. But in the third and most crucial race, he did not manage to get a wind shift right and had to work his way through the fleet. With rank two he could take off the lead from the Norwegian Bjoernar Erikstad by one point. "But the race must not have taken any longer. A shroud just broke right after the finish. I could have not been going upwind anymore", Kroeger draw a happy conclusion.

With the prize giving ceremony, Kiel said goodbye to the sailors of the Olympic classes. On Thursday, 15 international classes will be starting at 1pm for the second part of the Kieler Woche to find their winners until Sunday, 28. June.

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Big breeze Medal Race finale for Olympic stars (from Andy Rice)

The breeze kicked in for Medal Race day at Kieler Woche (Kiel Week), making for some thrilling live TV coverage of the Laser, Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX classes.

The Olympic class racing saved the best for last, with multiple capsizes in the 49er FX making for great drama and unpredictability. After starting too early and having to return, the Netherlands duo of Annemieke Bekkering and Daniel Bramervaer gave themselves an uphill battle to secure gold. But they put the hammer down and after blasting out to the right-hand side, were already vying for the lead by the top mark.

With the breeze gusting unpredictably over 20 knots, the Dutch did well save themselves from a capsize on their last gybe to the finish, but they hung on for an easy victory. Despite capsizing, Leonie Meyer and Elena Stoffers held on for 4th place in the Medal Race to sneak silver just ahead of fellow Germans, the Görge sisters, who took bronze.

Germany did well in the other televised Medal Races, with the young up-and-comers Justus Schmidt and Max Boehme beating European Champions Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel, who took silver ahead of Jonas Warrer, the 2008 Olympic Champion, sailing with Anders Thomsen of Denmark.

Tobias Schadewaldt has twice won Kiel Week at the helm of a 49er, but today joined a very select group who have managed to win in two different Olympic classes, after wrapping up Laser gold with victory in the Medal Race. Paul Kohlhoff turns 20 in two days' time, and won his first Kiel Week at the helm of a Nacra 17, crewed by another 20 year old, Carolina Werner. They move on to the Nacra 17 World Championships in Denmark two weeks from now, when they hope to secure an Olympic berth for Germany at Rio 2016.

Meanwhile, many new classes have been rolling into the Olympic Centre at Kiel today, in preparation for their racing which begins on Thursday. Among those are the Formula 18 catamaran class, with a strong entry using Kiel Week as preparation for the F18 World Championship which is set to take place on these waters next month.

Live coverage of the Formula 18s begins at 1245pm German time on Thursday.

TV Schedule: