Thompson claims ISAF Sailing World Championship bronze
by Lindsey Bell, RYA 18 Sep 2014 16:56 BST
12-21 September 2014
Nick Thompson claimed Great Britain's first medal of the ISAF Sailing World Championships – a bronze – in the Laser class on Thursday (18 September).
The 28-year-old took admitted to mixed emotions with his podium finish after a tight battle in the final 10-boat medal race in Santander.
With two silvers and a bronze medal in the bag from previous World Championships, the Lymington sailor had his eye on a first gold, and went into the finale effectively level-pegging with the Australian series leader Tom Burton.
But it was the Netherlands' Nicolas Heiner who took a convincing medal race victory, and with it the World Championship title. Burton came away with the silver medal.
"If I am honest I am a little bit disappointed," said Thompson of his World Championship bronze, which he adds to bronze from the 2009 event, and two silvers from 2010 and 2011.
"It was my chance to try and go one better than I have done previously but obviously it is good to get a medal and to have done so in the three major events this year. But at the moment it is mixed feelings for sure."
"It has been a tricky event. I think it has been one of the most challenging events I have done in a while, pretty similar to Rio in that respect as we have seen a bit of everything. It has been a real mixed bag and I guess it is good to have come away with a medal in those varied conditions.
"I have shown that I don't have many weaknesses now which is rewarding. I will now try and work on a few of the smaller areas and try and do better next year."
Earlier in the women's Laser Radial medal race, Alison Young consolidated her ninth place overall with a seventh place finish in the finale.
Great Britain has qualified country quota spots in both the Laser and Laser Radial events for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games so far at these World Championships.
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