ISAF World Match Race Rankings

Great Britain's Lucy Macgregor has finally toppled Claire Leroy (FRA) who has enjoyed a four and half year unbroken run at #1 in the Women's ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Adam Minoprio (NZL) maintains his position at the top of the Open Rankings.

Adam Minoprio (NZL) holds on to world #1 spot for the fifth consecutive release of the Open Rankings and there are no changes to the next eight positions below him. Shooting back into the top ten at #10 is Paolo Cian who moves up from #22 after claiming the bronze medal a the V Trofeo Match Race Puerto Calero in the Canary Islands, the only grade 1 event logging results to this rankings release.

So with no change to the top nine, World Championship silver medallist Torvar Mirsky (AUS) stays in the world #2 spot, whilst 2009 ISAF Nations Cup winner Damien Iehl (FRA) holds on to his career best position of #3. Completing the world top five is another French skipper, former world #1 Mathieu Richard, and 2007 and 2008 World Champion, Ian Williams of Great Britain.

The big mover in the top 20 is winner of the V Trofeo Match Race Puerto Calero, Eugeniy Neugodnikov of Russia, competing at his first graded event since August 2009 and moving up 21 places from #41. Philippe Presti (ITA) completed the podium in Lanzarote and he moves up five places to #13.

Results counting for this release include a flurry of ISAF Grade 3 national championships. Jon Brecelj claimed his first national match racing title in Slovenia to climb seven places up to #85 whilst multiple 470 wold champion and double Olympic medallist Sofia Bekatorou saw off the boys to win the Hellenic Champonship on the Saronic Gulf and move up to #270 on the open rankings. In December the Portuguese and Brazilian titles both went to 2008 470 Olympians with Portugal's Álvaro Marinho staying just inside the top 20 at #19 whilst Brazilian Samuel Albrecht climbs 228 places to #261.

Women's Rankings

The silver medal at the ISAF Grade W World Cup Regatta, US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR has finally secured Lucy Macgregor and her team the #1 position on the ISAF World Match Race Rankings and she now leads Leroy by a precarious nine points. Macgregor has been snapping at Leroy's heels for the past year, moving from the #3 position up to #2 in September so there will be celebrations today for the British team whose consistent results had suggested that it was just a matter of time before they toppled their French rivals.

Claire Leroy (FRA) picked up the bronze medal in Miami and will certainly be working hard to reclaim that #1 position. 2009 World Champion Nicky Souter (AUS) moves up to the #3 position after she finished her first graded event outing of the year just outside the medals, claiming fouth place in Miami. Making way for Souter is fellow Australian Katie Pellew with Silke Hahlbrock (GER) holding firm at #5.

With the pressure heating up in the women's match racing circuit as London 2012 looms on the horizon, it was 2008 Laser Radial gold medallist Anna Tunnicliffe who took the gold medal in Miami as well as clinching the ISAF Grade 3 US SAILING January Qualifier Tunnicliffe moves up the rankings two places to #8 and with her intentions made clear she will be one to watch for 2010 pans out.

The ISAF Grade 3 Campeonato Brasileiro De Match Race Feminino was not a great event for the top ranked Brazilian skipper but her fifth place shifts her back to her all time best at #21. Winning the event in Porte Alegre was Juliana Poncioni Mota who maintains her position at #37.

The next release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings for 2010 will be on 10 March.

Click here for more on the ISAF World Match Race Rankings