Olympic medallists Waterhouse and Darmanin win gold at World Cup Series Miami
by David Sygall 27 Jan 2018 23:35 PST
21-28 January 2018
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy
Olympic silver medallists Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have set the foundation for a big 2018 after capturing gold in the Nacra 17 class at the World Cup Series in Miami.
Australian sailors held their nerve against the world elite with Waterhouse and Darmanin asserting dominance over Rio gold medallists Argentina's Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli to win the series by a sizeable 23 points and Laser sailor Tom Burton finishing three races with a one, six and one to lift his lead over Great Britain's Nick Thompson to 30 points.
Racing in the Laser class will conclude on Sunday (Monday morning AEDT) with the Olympic gold medallist poised to join the Nacra duo with the ultimate prize.
Darmanin told World Sailing that the conditions suited the Aussies.
"It's awesome conditions here in Miami," she said.
"Fairly flat water, a bit choppy but, coming from Australia we love the breeze.
"The aim of the game is to stay out of trouble and to win the race was a bonus. Really stoked with the win and had great fun doing it."
Burton said it had been a physical day but he was well prepared.
"It was blowing 20 knots plus and I managed to have some nice speed and get good results," he said.
"It was a tough day on the legs but I think having our Nationals with some three-race days proved helpful as far as my fitness went.
"It's been a while since I've sailed well in Miami, so it's great to be consistent this week and sail well."
Laser sailor Matt Wearn continued his late regatta form to move up to sixth and Finn Alexander is 42nd. Nacra 17 pair Tayla Rietman and Lachlan White finished 18th in their fleet and 49erFX Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot were 12th in theirs.
Results after Day 5:
Nacra 17 (complete)
- Waterhouse/Darmanin – 1, 4, (12), 1, 1, 1, 3, 2, 1, 1 – 1st
- Rietman/White – 14, 17, 15, 7, 17, 12, 12, 11, (18) – 18th
Laser
- Tom Burton – 4, (34), 2, 7, 6, 6, 1, 6, 1 – 1st
- Matt Wearn – 27, 11, 9, (28), 3, 9, 9, 5, 4 – 6th
- Finn Alexander – 26, 17, 51, 53, 37, 46, 37, 36 (54) – 42nd
49erFX (complete)
- Bryant/Wilmot – 13, 8, 12, 6, 12, 13, (22) – 12th
Quick Links: