Please select your home edition
Edition
X-Yachts Leaderboard 2024 1

US Sailing Team at 2020 ILCA Women's Laser Radial World Championships - Day 4

by Brittney Manning 26 Feb 2020 07:29 PST
Erika Reineke at the 2020 ILCA Women's Laser Radial World Championships, Day 4 © Jon West Photography

Competitors at the 2020 ILCA Women's Laser Radial World Championships finally had a full day of racing, competing in three 15-20 knot races, to close out the qualifying series.

After an unusual light and tricky start to the event, today delivered the famous Port Phillip Bay solid breeze with steep waves, challenging the competitors to a long and physical session.

US Sailing Team Laser Radial coach Steve Mitchell (GBR) knew today would be an endurance battle, so during his morning meeting with the athletes, he said, "If you don't come back to the dock completely exhausted then you didn't try hard enough today."

Living up to Mitchell's expectation, U.S. Laser Radial athletes delivered on the water and were exhausted by the time they finished all three races. Despite the long, tiring day, the grueling effort paid off especially well for Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.). Both finished all three races in the top-ten, and Reineke even came away with a top-three finish.

Today's strong performance in the windy conditions is a marked improvement from Reineke and Railey's historical performances in heavy air, and are a testament to the training they've focused on over the past few months.

"They've all spent a lot of time in the gym in the last six months," said Mitchell. "We've switched their programs around so they would be better in these conditions, getting them stronger, slightly heavier, and more fit. because historically, these conditions haven't been their strongest. We also expect to see similar conditions in Tokyo - strong winds with this kind of aggressive wave state - so we changed their gym programs to get them stronger, slightly heavier, and more fit. A lot of their on the water training has also been directed at hiking and enduring the pain over and over."

Railey is glad to see her hard work pay off, "It's good that the changes we've been making and things we've been doing in training are paying dividends when those conditions come at race time."

While Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas) had an unfortunate capsize in the final race thanks to the aggressive wave state, her time in the gym helped her finished the other two races in 19th and 10th. After today, she moved up a couple of positions to 28th overall.

Tomorrow, the competitors and race organizers are expecting sailable conditions all day, so the start time has been moved forward to 11:00 a.m., local time. Three races are scheduled, and the Race Committee is optimistic that the windy forecast will deliver an efficient day on the water. As they have met the minimum threshold of qualifying races, the final series will begin tomorrow. U.S. athletes Railey, Reineke, and Rose will be among the top 53 sailors advancing to gold fleet and Hanne Weaver (Gig Harbor, Wash.) will compete in silver fleet.

U.S. Laser Radial Results

  • Erika Reineke - 17th
  • Paige Railey - 20th
  • Charlotte Rose - 28th
  • Hanne Weaver - 86th

View full results here

Related Articles

US Sailing and Zhik announce strategic partnership
Zhik will provide cutting-edge gear designed to enhance athlete performance on the water US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, is proud to announce a new multi-year partnership with Zhik, global leader in high-performance water wear. Posted on 13 May
US Sailing announces new scholarship fund
To support sailors' growth and development In an effort to make sailing more accessible and inclusive, US Sailing is proud to announce the launch of the US Sailing Scholarship Fund. Posted on 28 Apr
Charlie Enright appointed as CEO of US Sailing
An accomplished sailor and an advocate of the sport, known for his leadership skills US Sailing announced Charlie Enright, an accomplished leader in the sailing industry, as the Association's new CEO. Enright will take the helm of US Sailing, the sport's National Governing Body (NGB), following an extensive national executive search. Posted on 14 Apr
Three American teams qualify for Medal Races
At Trofeo Princesa Sofía, first Sailing Grand Slam After six days of racing on the Bay of Palma at the 54th Trofeo Princesa Sofía, three American teams finished the opening series in the top 10, qualifying for prestigious medal races at the largest Olympic classes regatta of the year. Posted on 8 Apr
Lead-up to LA28 begins with Princesa Sofía Regatta
29 athletes representing the US are now in Palma 29 athletes representing the US across eight Olympic classes will spar with over 50 other countries at the 54th edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca, considered to be the European season opener. Posted on 31 Mar
Jr. Pan American Games Sailing Team announced
Four athletes named, set to compete in Paraguay this August Four US athletes will take the water for the second ever Junior Pan American Games coming up August 9-23, 2025 in Asunción, Paraguay. Posted on 7 Mar
US Sailing Youth Team qualification update
Over half of the 72 sailors who will qualify have now earned their spot on the team Over half of the 72 sailors who will qualify for the Youth National Team in 2025 have now earned their spot on the team based on top finishes at class association Midwinter Championships. Posted on 7 Mar
US Sailing seek Sailor Athlete Council nominations
SAC is only vehicle for sailors to be heard as individuals rather than as members of an organization US Sailing's Sailor Athlete Council (SAC) maintains an avenue for American sailor athletes to voice their opinions, providing a forum and opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the future and direction of our sport. Posted on 2 Mar
US selection process for Youth Match Racing Worlds
Set to take place from July 21-27 in Gdynia, Poland US Sailing has released the athlete selection procedures for the 2025 World Sailing Youth Match Racing World Championship, set to take place from July 21-27 in Gdynia, Poland. Posted on 28 Feb
2025 Kevin Burnham Memorial Grants recipients
Three young sailors selected to receive the 2025 Kevin Burnham Memorial Grants US Sailing is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Kevin Burnham Memorial Grants, made possible by the generous support of the sailing community in honor of Kevin Burnham's remarkable legacy. Posted on 27 Feb
MySail 2025RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERDoyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP BOTTOM