U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing (ILCA 6 and ILCA 7) - Day 7
by US Sailing Team 23 Feb 2024 16:08 PST
15-24 February 2024
After yesterday's rest day, 62 athletes returned to the water for the penultimate day of racing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing for the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 disciplines. Southerly winds built throughout the day from 10 knots to the upper teens and the sea state followed suit.
Erika Reineke entered the day leading the ILCA 6 fleet but fell to second when the second drop race came into effect following race 12, putting her behind current leader Charlotte Rose by four points.
Reineke took the first race win and the pair kept in each other's sights throughout the day. Charlotte Rose came back to win race 12 by 45 seconds, ending her day on a high note. Christina Sakellaris sailed a consistent day with 2nd and 4th place finishes and closes out the podium in third overall for day seven. Sakellaris will enter the final day of racing tomorrow with an outside chance at an overall win with nine points between her and Rose.
The winner of the ILCA 6 fleet tomorrow will secure her ticket to represent Team USA at the Paris 2024 Games, as the US women already achieved country qualification back in 2023 in the Netherlands at the Sailing World Championships.
Overall standings remained the same for the top five ILCA 7s, with Ford McCann in the lead as he has been for the entirety of the event. Leo Boucher and Marshall McCann secured the two race wins of the day, and Chapman Petersen will hit the water in third overall for the final day of competition behind Boucher.
Tomorrow's ILCA 7 winner 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."
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Sailing will conclude for the ILCA 6s and 7s tomorrow with two more races remaining on the agenda. ILCA 6s will start first at 1100 ET with ILCA 7s following shortly thereafter.
Top 5 in each class after day seven:
- ILCA 6 - Charlotte Rose (17), Erika Reineke (21), Christina Sakellaris (26), Lilly Myers (42), Audrey Foley (48)
- ILCA 7 - Ford McCann (21), Leo Boucher (28), Chapman Petersen (35), Marshall McCann (37), Daniel Escudero (38)
Full results available here.