Lysekil Women's Match - Preview

WIMR Series final event to be raced in Sweden next week

100,000 USD prize purse will be distributed

After four events in as many countries, the inaugural Women's International Match Racing Series is ready for its fifth and final battle, to be held in picturesque Lysekil, Sweden, next week. The Lysekil Women's Match prize purse of 50 000 USD and the equal amount from the WIMR Series, makes a total of 100 000 USD to be distributed among the foremost women match racing sailors in the world: - We are looking very much forward to once again welcoming such a competitive field to Lysekil, says Anna Holmdahl White, initiator and project leader of Lysekil Women's Match.

In January this year the Women's International Match Racing Association (WIMRA) launched its new and longed-for Women's International Match Racing Series (WIMR Series), and the first event was sailed in Saint Quay de Portrieux at the French Atlantic coast in May. British Olympian Lucy Macgregor showed her great skills, defeating local hope Julie Bossard in the Elliott 6M, to score the first jackpot on the Series. Since then the worlds' leading women match racing sailors have fought hard for valuable Series' points also in Korea, Denmark and the USA. At every event their skills have been tested in different challenging conditions and in new boat types, and every time the fierce competition has whittled a new winner to step up on the top of the podium. At the last event in New York, Anna Kjellberg of Sweden was able to win.

She has raced in all the Women's International Match Racing Series events, and on her home waters in Lysekil, Kjellberg will be one of the skippers aspiring on the Series' title. Reigning Lysekil champion and current world number one Camilla Ulrikkeholm is, together with Lucy Macgregor, the other two skippers who can make it to the absolute top of the WIMR Series. American Stephanie Roble and Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen of Denmark are unfortunately unable to participate in Lysekil, but Swedish Caroline Sylvan and Kiwi Claudia Pierce both have at least a theoretical chance of grabbing some of the Series' prize money. The girls will certainly do all they can on the waters of Lysekil, so it's definitely set for exciting races!

At Lysekil Women's Match The Women's International Match Racing Series will unveil its new, perpetual trophy. The trophy will be awarded annually to the winners of the Series. Appropriately, the trophy is named for Terry J. Kohler who has been, without question, the biggest supporter of women's match racing in the world. He has given not only his sage advice, his considerable influence and moral support, but also huge financial support from his own personal assets. Without him, there would have been no match racing in the Olympics, no Women's International Match Racing Association and no Women's International Match Racing Series.

Lysekil Women's Match 2013 Participants: (skipper/nationality/ISAF world ranking)

Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 1 (reigning Lysekil Women's Match champion)
Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 2
Ekaterina Skudina, RUS, 5
Alexa Bezel, SUI, 6
Claire Leroy, FRA, 8
Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 9
Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 13
Claudia Pierce, NZL, 21
Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 27
Anna Kjellgren, SWE, 39
Johanna Larsson, SWE, 68

2013 Women's International Match Racing Series Standings: (after four events)

1. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 66pts
2. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 61pts
3. Stephanie Roble, USA, 47pts
4. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 44pts
4. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 44pts
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 26pts
7. Tamara Echegoyen, ESP, 25pts
7. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 25pts
7. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 25pts
10. Julie Bossard, FRA, 22pts
11. Katie Spithill, AUS, 19pts
12. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 17pts
13. Merel Witteveen, NED, 15pts
13. Ekaterina Skudina, RUS, 15pts
15. Nicole Breault, USA, 10pts
16. Susannah Pyatt, NZL, 9pts
17. Milly Bennett, AUS, 8pts
18. Anna Kjellgren, SWE, 7pts
19. Madeline Gill, USA, 6pts
20. Anne Marit Hansen, NOR, 4pts
20. Sung-Eun Choi, KOR, 4pts
20. Morgane Dréau, FRA, 4pts

The inaugural 2013 Women's International Match Racing Series is a professional sailing circuit, hosted by the Women's International Match Racing Association for the world's leading women match racing sailors. In match racing the crews meet one on one in exciting duels that can easily be followed and understood by the spectators.

An overall prize purse of 50 000 USD, as well as the Terry J Kohler perpetual trophy, will be distributed by the WIMRSeries at the final event in Lysekil, Sweden, in addition to the prize money at each of the five events included in the WIMRSeries:

• May 15-19 - Saint Quay Women's Match Racing - St Quay-Portrieux, France - Elliott 6m
• June 5-9 - Busan Cup International Women's Match Race - Busan, Korea - K 30
• June 20-23 - Danish Open Ladies Cup - Copenhagen, Denmark - J/80
• July 11-14 - New York Women's Invitational - Oakcliff, New York, USA - SM 40
• August 5-10 - Lysekil Women's Match - Lysekil, Sweden - DS 37

Lysekil Women's Match is with a 300 000 SEK (50 000 USD) prize purse the largest yearly event for women match racing sailors, concerning the mix of spectators, publicity and prize money. The world's leading women match racing sailors participate in the eighth issue of Lysekil Women's Match, August 5 - 10 2013, arranged by Sailnet Lysekil AB in cooperation with Lysekils SS Gullmar. Main sponsor for Lysekil Women's Match is Preem and Thun Tankers, with the municipality of Lysekil as host city.