U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing (ILCA 6 and ILCA 7) - Day 1
by US Sailing Team 18 Feb 2024 16:08 AEDT
The first day of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing opened with two races in each class in moderate 8 to 12 knot breeze. Race committee from Coconut Grove Sailing Club and PRO Tom Duggan got races off on time and efficiently and competitors headed to shore around 1430 for an early end to day one in a marathon event.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Erika Reineke and Charlotte Rose traded race wins and leads, with Reineke winning the opening race of the day by 60 seconds and Rose taking the second race by 45 seconds. Also tied just behind Reineke and Rose are Lilly Myers and Hallie Schiffman, both with eight points each. There is a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics on the line in the ILCA 6 fleet, with the US women having already achieved country qualification back in 2023 in the Netherlands at the Sailing World Championships.
Houston, Texas's Ford McCann started the ILCA 7 event swinging, winning both of today's races with almost a minute to spare. Rounding out the day one podium is Daniel Escudero with five points and Marshall McCann with eight. At these Trials, one ILCA 7 will achieve athlete selection, but the class still requires a USA country qualification to confirm participation at the Paris Games with the final opportunity coming up in Hyéres, France April 20-27; the "Last Chance Regatta."
Two more races in each fleet are scheduled for day two tomorrow with a start time of 1200 ET.
Top 5 in each class after day one:
- ILCA 6 - Charlotte Rose (3), Erika Reineke (3), Lilly Myers (8), Hallie Schiffman (8), Izabella Mendoza Cabezas (11)
- ILCA 7 - Ford McCann (2), Daniel Escudero (5), Marshall McCann (8), Leo Boucher (9), Chapman Petersen (10)
Full results available
here.