Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta - Day 6
by ISAF 20 Aug 2015 23:43 BST
15-22 August 2015
Jamais Deux, Sans Trois for Picon at Olympic Test Event
The French expression, "jamais deux, sans trois," signified Charline Picon's (FRA) hopes for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition after she won Women's RS:X gold at sailing's Olympic test event for the second time.
Directly translated to 'never two without three', the saying can be used both positively and negatively and that if something has happened twice, it is likely to happen for a third time.
After winning gold at the 2014 Aquece Rio and backing it up this year, Picon said through a shy smile, "jamais deux, sans trois." If the saying goes, that third time will be at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Picon ventured into the day tied on points with Poland's Malgorzata Bialecka with Blanca Manchon (ESP) two points behind in the Women's RS:X. It was to be a three way shoot out.
Stress levels were at their absolute highest with neither sailor fully grasping the 8-12 knot southerly breeze that was consistent throughout the afternoon.
Bryony Shaw (GBR) ran away with the race victory as the leading trio exchanged positions but Picon battled hard to remain in front of her rivals, finishing fifth to claim gold. "I was able to imagine the pressure at the Olympics," commented Picon on the high stress situation, "so it was good for me to sail in a Medal Race like that. It's important to test this. I would have preferred a good advantage, like I had in Santander [2014 ISAF Worlds], but you have to know how to manage yourself when it's close.
"I'm very happy because this morning, it was so close with second and third. We were on the same points and Blanca was two points behind so I could have got gold, silver or bronze but I wanted to win."
Both Bialecka and Manchon finished at the back of the pack claiming silver and bronze respectively. However, it could have been a different story after Stefania Elfutina (RUS) received a six point scoring penalty that result in her missing out on third.
But as Picon explained, it's important to get in the habit and remove the errors now, rather than in one year, "It was a very good test event. We learnt a lot of things. We have to respect the rules, this is very important. This morning two girls took six points for being late to measurement so it's very important to learn that this year so no one makes that mistake next year."
For China's Aichen Wang, the writing was on the wall, all he needed to do was finish in the top eight and gold would be his. Anything lower, then his rivals would have had to win to overthrow the pace setting Chinese sailor.
Going in with a 17 point lead Wang knew what had to be done but didn't make things easy for himself as his Beijing 2008 Olympic gold medal winning coach Tom Ashley (NZL) explained, "He made it very difficult for himself today to be honest. He didn't have a whole lot to do because the point's gap was pretty big.
"In the first part of the race he made a couple of mistakes and fell off as he got a big gust that slammed him. That didn't make life easy. After that he sailed back through the fleet pretty well and finished fourth so it was alright."
Ashley knows a good performance when he sees it; he's put together the results required for glory himself and described Wang's performance as one of the best he's seen the day prior.
After racing Ashley summed things up, "I am unbelievably pleased. It's been really good. We needed to lift our game about now. It probably came a little bit sooner than I expected but that's great. It's a nice step up and puts us in a good place a year before the Games."
Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) and Pierre Le Coq (FRA) were well positioned in the leading spots heading into the day. Le Coq occupied second with Kokkalanis six points behind in third.
The Greek racer sailed his own race, coming through in second and had a short wait to see how things would play out behind him. As Le Coq came through in seventh it was silver to Kokkalanis who made amends for missing out on a podium place at the 2014 test event.
"I really wanted a medal," exclaimed Kokkalanis, "and a silver makes me really happy. I had to defend my position and think about my tactics and get a good result. I managed to do that. I was leading at one point but came second to secure a podium.
"It's good motivation having a good result in Rio this year. If you get a great result then you're in a good position but the main thing today was putting in a good Medal Race."
49er and 49erFX
The 49er and 49erFX Medal Race places were decided on the Escola Naval course as each fleet reached ten races apiece over the week.
As things stand, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) and Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) are well positioned to claim gold with a 15 and nine point lead respectively.
Burling and Tuke couldn't have asked for much more on the day, enjoying the breeze to post a 4-1-4-1 that hands them a cushion over Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT). The Kiwis have guaranteed themselves at least silver medal whilst the Austrians are guaranteed a podium finish.
The third placed Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER) have a bit of work to do in third place with teams in places 4-7 in with a shout of bronze.
In the 49erFX, Italy's Conti and Clapcich have guaranteed themselves a podium finish which, as a result, books their ticket to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It was a mixed day for the Italians as they took a 2-4 alongside a DNF. Across the week the Italians have been consistent and whilst they discard the 20th, they count a tenth which is their only other double digit score.
Conti and Clapcich are nine points clear of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) and Lisa Ericson and Hanna Klinga (SWE) who are tied on 44 points.
Laser and Laser Radial
Like the Men's and Women's Skiffs, the Laser and Laser Radial fleet racing drew to a close ahead of the Medal Race. Both fleets completed nine races across the week with two challenging races taking place on the Niteroi course.
Francesco Marrai (ITA) held on to his lead in the Laser even though he finished 32nd in the last fleet race of series. He discards the 32nd but counts the third he got in the first race of the day. The Italian is 13 points clear of his rivals and has all but guaranteed himself a medal.
Tonci Stipanovic (CRO), Tom Burton (AUS) and Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) are separated by three points heading into the Medal Race which could prove clinical for Marrai as the three may fight it out for the remaining medals. Robert Scheidt (BRA) and Charlie Buckingham (USA) are still in the hunt as well, 11 points off Stipanovic and eight off Burton and Bernaz.
The Laser Radial has been an intriguing competition throughout the week and going into the Medal Race just three points split first to third.
Gintare Scheidt (LTU) leads on 45 points followed by Evi Van Acker (BEL) on 47 and Paige Railey (USA) on 48.
Van Acker moved herself firmly into contention for a medal as she sailed her way to a 2-3. Railey has been consistent across the week and a 7-8 kept her in the hunt. Scheidt was on the receiving end of a scoring penalty in the first race of the day and discards the score. She held on to the overall lead though with a sixth in the last race of series ensuring it the deciding of medals will all boil down to the final double points race.
Nacra 17
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) were able to hold on to first overall in the Nacra 17 with another disciplined performance. Two fourths and a discarded eighth hands them a five point advantage venturing into the Medal Race.
Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) remain second overall following a UFD, which they discard, and 1-7.
Two points separate the third placed Lin Ea Cenholt Christiansen and Christian Peter Lübeck (DEN), Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) and Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner (GER).
The Nacra 17 Medal Race is scheduled to commence at 16:00 on the Pao de Acucar course.
Finn
The 20-boat Finn fleet got in three good races on the Pai course and Pieter Jan Postma (NED) kept hold of his lead.
Postma opened up the day exceedingly well by taking the first race bullet and was able to maintain a high performance level in the next two races as a fourth and an eighth followed.
Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) should have taken the second race win of the day but was pegged back by Giles Scott (GBR) who moved up the fleet as the race progressed. Scott claimed the bullet as Christensen followed in fifth. For Scott, his race win was sandwiched in between an eighth and a fourth which moves him to third overall and in touching distance of Postma.
Tapio Nirkko (FIN) continued his good form. A fourth, a seventh, which he discards, and a third solidifies his spot in second place ahead of Friday 21 August where two further fleet races will decide the Medal Race positions.
Men's and Women's 470
The Men's and Women's 470 enjoyed a great day of racing on the Copacabana racing area, completing three races apiece.
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) showed why they are one of the best Men's 470 teams in the world by producing a stunning performance that catapults them right back into the mixer for the medals.
A third and two outstanding race victories positions them nicely in second place, just a single point off of Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) who sailed well on the day with a 2-5-(9).
Early pace setters Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (USA) had a tough time on the water as a (12)-10-8 drops them down to sixth. But whilst they'll leave the boat park disappointed they know they have the capabilities and skillset to push back up as they sit just six points off of the podium places.
A bullet, second and a fourth enabled Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) to jump up to first overall in the Women's 470. Overnight leaders Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) didn't have a bad day by any standards with a 3-3-(7) but Mills and Clark's performance was enough to dislodge them from top of the perch.
Mills and Clark lead the Americans by three points.
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) took the remaining race victories and with an opening race eighth they move up to third overall.
Ahead of Saturday's Medal Race, two fleet races remain and it will be game on for the sailors aiming to solidify their position and make the Medal Race.
The sailors have caught up with their schedule and the penultimate day of racing is scheduled to commence at 13:00 local time with the 49er, 49erFX Laser, Laser Radial and Nacra 17 fleets drawing their competition to a close.
Tracking and Competition Status Screen at www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/multimedia/live_tracking.php
Results at www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/results
Useful links:
Burling and Tuke take 15 point lead into 2015 Rio Test Event Medal Race (from Yachting New Zealand)
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are well placed to secure the gold medal at 2015 Rio Test Event tomorrow after another stellar day on the water in the 2016 Olympic city.
They took two race wins, and so did both the NZL Sailing Team women's double-handed crews on a day when the wind returned and all fleets managed at least two races.
49er
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke look set to add yet another victory to their mounting tally.
After today's performance in Rio they will go into tomorrow's 49er medal race with a 15 point leading margin.
The only crew in a position to take the gold from them are Nico Delle–Karth and Nikolaus Resch of Austria lying 2nd overall, with Germany's Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel lying 3rd and 27 points adrift of the kiwis.
The men's skiff fleet managed four races today on Guanabara Bay. Burling and Tuke's results from the penultimate day include two race wins and two 4th places.
After two days off the water due to a lay day and then cancelled racing yesterday, Tuke says it was good to get back out there; "It's been a bit strange to do half the regatta then have two days off and then we had four races today, so it was good to get back into it and it was a really solid day for us."
"All of our races were good and we are really happy. We got a another couple of bullets and managed to extend our lead a little bit, which was great and to go into the medal race with a nice lead tomorrow, but still with a bit of work to do."
"We're happy with how we went today in some pretty tricky conditions."
Women's 470
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie have sailed themselves back into medal contention with two days of competition left to run in the Women's 470 class.
After lying 9th overall going into today Aleh and Powrie had their best day of the regatta so far posting an 8th and two race wins, clearly finding their groove in the increased breeze on the outer course area today, and climbing into 3rd overall.
Polly Powrie describes the conditions; "It was pretty nice, we had big waves, a little bit more breeze – not as much as forecasted, but enough to get three races away."
"We were still finding our feet in the first one and in the second two we had a couple of bullets so we're pretty happy with a couple of keepers," she adds.
On 39 points they're a fair way back from the Americans in 2nd on 21 points, while Great Britain leads on 18 points. Tomorrow the Women's 470 are scheduled to sail another two races before the top ten will advance to Saturday's medal race.
49erFX
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech were the third New Zealand crew to win two races today at 2015 Rio Test Event.
The 49erFX fleet were sailing inside the bay today and the kiwi crew put on a brilliant performance in their opening two races in view of spectators ashore. A third race was sailed, in which the kiwi girls finished 15th.
They're now lying 4th overall as they progress into the top ten medal race tomorrow, moving up from 6th. 16 points adrift of 3rd place means climbing into a podium position is challenging from where they sit.
Nacra 17
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders sailed three races today in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull placing 2nd, 10th and 13th. With points extremely tight at the top of the board the kiwis have been nudged back into 6th place overall going into tomorrow's medal race.
Finn
Josh Junior posted three single-digit races today in the Finn class opening with a 3rd and following that up with an 8th and a 9th to now lie 5th overall going into the penultimate day of competition for their fleet.
Junior is five points behind Jonathan Lobert (FRA) in 4th place, while Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) is leading overall. Along with the Men's and Women's 470 classes, the Finn fleet will sail their medal races on Saturday.
Laser
It was a day of mixed fortunes for Andy Maloney in the Laser fleet posting a 2nd place in today's first race. Unfortunately the 25 year old from Murrays Bay Sailing Club wasn't able to replicate that in the second race of the day and a mid-pack finish in 26th sees him edged out into 11th.
Just two points separate Maloney from the top ten, but when the scheduled third race of the day wasn't completed it meant the kiwi missed the opportunity to reclaim a top ten spot, and he won't sail tomorrow's medal race.
Men's 470
Men's 470 pair Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox did not sail today because Willcox has been unwell with a gastro illness.
The source of the illness is not known and Team Doctor, Craig Panther is in Rio and is treating Willcox's symptoms and monitoring his recovery, whilst isolating him from other team members as a precaution.
The class was scheduled to sail three races on the outside Copacabana course area and it was and on the Team Doctor's recommendation that Willcox did not sail today.
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin defend yellow leaders jersey ahead of Medal Race at Olympic Sailing Test Event in Rio (from Australian Sailing)
Australian Sailing Team's Jason Waterhouse (NSW) and Lisa Darmanin (NSW) have defended their lead in the Nacra17 at the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 in Rio on Thursday, 20 August 2015 and will carry their yellow leader's jersey into Friday's Medal Race.
Also in medal position ahead of the first round of Medal Races at the Olympic Sailing Test Event is Laser sailor Tom Burton (NSW) in third place.
Olympic Gold Medallist Nathan Outteridge (NSW) and Iain Jensen (NSW) complete the Australian contingent in the top-ten Medal Races scheduled for Friday local time (21 August) and are ranked sixth after a challenging day and have only a slight chance left to get on to the podium.
Medal Race in the Men's 470 and Finn classes are scheduled for Saturday and Olympic gold medallist Mathew Belcher (QLD) and Will Ryan (QLD) will go into the last day of fleet racing ranked second, only one point off first place after winning two out of three races on Thursday.
It was a full day of racing for all Australia Sailing crews and a great day for it with a front during the night bringing in the long awaited wind which allowed most fleets to catch up on racing.
Two Person Dingy – Men's 470
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan had strong day winning two out of three races and moved up from seventh into second place. As a consequence they were able to drop their high score from Wednesday when they were disqualified after crossing the start line early. They are now back in the hunt for the gold medal with another two races to go before the top-ten Medal Race on Saturday.
"We made it pretty tough for ourselves in the first part of the event and today was really a day where we had to get some pretty good scores and make as few mistakes as we could," Mat Belcher said about the challenges of the day.
"Out there was a lot lighter than we expected. We didn't get above 13 knots, where the forecast was up to 20. It was really shifty with quite big waves and we just tried to race as well as we could and fight for every point. We had a third and two first places, so it was a really good day for us and we've caught back up a bit to our competitors. There's two more races to go and a lot of work to do.
Mixed multi-hull – Nacra 17
It will be a tight battle in the final Medal Race in the Nacra17 fleet but Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin were able to extend their lead by another three points. After eleven races they are ranked first, five points ahead of the second ranked Dutch team.
It was a tough day for the cousins on the Bridge (Ponte) course but another series of consistently low results including two fourth places and an eighth, secured them the yellow jersey into the top-ten, double points Medal Race on Friday, 21 August local time.
"We had three races out there today and it was really tricky. That was really tough and I'm exhausted, Lisa is exhausted. It's been a big week and that course was a nightmare. It posed lot of opportunities and snakes and ladders and we did the best we could," Jason Waterhouse said.
"We achieved our goal to extent our lead going into tomorrow's Medal Race. It's going to be really tight and I would have liked it to fall a bit better today but at the end of the day we could only what we could do. But obviously we are really happy going in with a lead. It will be a tight finish and I think we really want this gold. So we'll sail really fast and do the best we can."
Men's Skiff – 49er
Racing had been cancelled for the 49er fleet on Wednesday and with only six races completed over five days, four races were scheduled on Thursday.
It was a tough last day of racing in the 20-boat fleet ahead of Friday's Medal Race. It did not go as planned for Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen. The pair dropped from fourth into sixth after posting a 13th, fifth, eighth and ninth place across the four races. They now sit in sixth place with a gold medal out of reach and a podium spot 14 points away as Iain Jensen explained:
"We had a bit of tough day today. We had four races, in maybe 10-18 knots and didn't get the shift right all the time and every now and then we were a little bit out of phase with the fleet. Some of the guys who were around us had a really good day, which now makes it hard for tomorrow (Friday)."
"We are back into sixth and I think we are 14 points off the medals, so we can still mathematically make a medal in this regatta, but it's going to be a hard thing to do from here. We'll approach tomorrow as a new day and hopefully we can improve tomorrow and get a good result."
One Person Dingy – Laser
Two races were completed instead of the three scheduled in the Laser fleet on the offshore Niteroi course, with Tom Burton winning the first race and posting a 15th place in the second.
This moves Burton into third place overall going into the Medal Race, tight on points with Frenchman Jean Baptiste Bernaz in fourth and three points behind second ranked Tonci Stipanović from Croatia. Italian Francesco Marrai tops the ranks sixteen points ahead of Burton.
"It was another long day. We left on time and we thought everything was going to be good, but when we got out there, there wasn't that much breeze. We sat around for a little bit. It was very shift and it pretty much died after two attempts at starting. Finally the breeze came in from a different direction, so they had to move the race course, which took a bit of time again," Tom Burton said about his day.
"The first race was really good. I had a nice start, nice first beat and was second around the top mark and ended up winning that race, which was really nice. In the second race it was starting to get a little late in the day and the breeze was a little bit trickier. It was probably my best start of the regatta and I just went the wrong way and there was a 20-degree wind shift the other way. This put me very deep. I had an alright come back to save me some points going into the medal race tomorrow, but I think it's still going to be tight on points. I'm close to a medal and a lot of the other guys are too, so tomorrow will be a 'need to perform' day.
Women's Skiff – 49erFX
The 49erFX with Olympic silver medallist Olivia Price (NSW) and crew Jaime Ryan (QLD) had a strong first race finishing third. But the second race was a challenging one with only three crews finishing the race before the time limit expired with the Australian's becalmed close to the finish line. With a 17th place in the third race of the day the pair finished the day as well as the event in overall 14th.
"Well today was definitely what we would call "tricky". We had two races on the medal course and then the breeze completely crumped out and the majority of the fleet got DNF'd in that second race, because the time limit expired. We then moved out to the Naval course and did one race out there, but it was again a dying breeze that made it extra tricky," Olivia Price said about the race day.
And about the event as a whole she added: "There's so much to be learned on these race courses. We're glad we got to see two of them today and the broad scale weather system, rather than just a sea breeze, so again more information to take away from it. We're really glad we got the opportunity to come and see Rio."
"It's the end of the regatta for us and Jaime and I are both stoked to have come here and see everything. I can't say thank you enough to Jaime for stepping up and being part of the FX team. We've both enjoyed it and we're looking forward to the next time we both get to race here, hopefully in our normal combinations.
Price competed at the Test Event in partnership with Jaime Ryan (QLD), who filled in for her injured regular crew Eliza Solly (VIC).
One Person Dingy (Heavyweight) – Finn
In the Finn class, Jake Lilley (QLD) continued to climb up the results ladder and moved from twelve into overall tenth after posting two fifth places and a 15th across the three races.
"I had two better races today, with two fifths and a not so good one in the middle, with a fifteenth. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the day and looking forward to tomorrow. We're going to be on the Naval course with two races and that should decide a lot of things," Jake Lilley said.
"Also, it was pretty cool, we saw a shark out there way offshore. We don't see much living marine life here inside the harbour. So to see a shark, that was the highlight of today for sure!"
The Laser will kick-off Medal Races on the picturesque Sugar Loaf course (P. Acucar) on Friday, 21 August at 13:00, followed by the 49er at 14:30 and the Nacra17 at 16:00 local time.
Friday is also the last day of fleet racing for the Men's 470 and Finn classes with two races scheduled across both fleets from 13:00.
Ten Australian sailors, including four London 2012 Olympic medallists, are competing in Rio in six of the ten Olympic classes in what is a key dress rehearsal at the 2016 sailing venue. Running from 15-22 August, it is the second Olympic Sailing Test Event to be held on Guanabara Bay, Brazil.
Americans Railey and Buckingham Aiming for Podium on Friday (from US Sailing Team Sperry)
The stage has been set at the 2015 Rio Olympic Test Event, and US Sailing Team Sperry athletes will begin competing in medal races tomorrow (Friday, August 21). American sailors Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) and Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) are both in position to challenge for a medal in the Laser Radial and Laser classes, respectively. Additional medal races for the Men's 470, Women's 470 and Finn will take place on Saturday.
The Laser Radial class is poised to see a thrilling medal race tomorrow in the shadow of Rio's iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, and London 2012 Olympian Paige Railey is facing a high-stakes battle for the podium. Entering the medal race, Railey sits in third place overall, three points from the leader Gintare Scheidt of Lithuania and one point behind Belgian Olympic bronze medalist Evi van Acker. "I'm very exited to be in this position," said Railey. "Tomorrow it's going to be 'who beats who' for the medals. However, the Finnish boat in fourth place is nipping at our heels." One of the challenging parts of competing in a double-points medal race, said Railey, is keeping track of the points situation as it evolves. "[Coach Mark Littlejohn] and I have multiple plans for different scenarios. The goal first of all is to medal. The secondary goal is to win gold." Railey will rely on her extensive experience at this venue, which stretches back to her gold-medal-winning performance at the 2007 Pan American Games, to go for the podium on Friday. "I love the medal race course here, but the level of tactical difficulty depends mostly on how much wind we get. If we get more wind, it's all about boat speed. Light air would be much more tactical."
After a slow start to his week, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) has made an impressive charge up the standings in the Men's Laser class over the past six days. The North American Champion and two-time College Sailor of the Year heads into the medal race in 6th overall and only eight points away from 3rd. "In the beginning of the week I made a couple of big errors, but I got more conservative, and started letting the other guys around me make the mistakes after that," said Buckingham, who jumped from 9th overall to 6th today. "I have a chance for a medal tomorrow, and I'm going to go for it. All if this is valuable experience leading up to the actual thing a year from now. I'm fortunate for the opportunity, and can't wait."
In the Women's 470, Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) entered the day with the overall lead. Despite a strong 3,3,7 showing in three races, the American pair dropped to second overall behind the resurgent British team of Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark, Olympic silver medalists in London 2012. "We tried to just minimize potential problems," said Provancha, the crew. "You never know what you're going to get here in Rio in terms of wind. The next race could always throw you something different, and the best way to deal with that is to keep an open mind." With two races to go before the medal race on Saturday, the numbers game is already in full swing. "We are starting to think about the scores at this point," said Provancha. "We're trying to win the regatta, and in a tight battle with the British at the moment. It's good that our 'drop race' is lower than theirs, since a lot can happen on the inner-harbor course we will use tomorrow."
The Men's 470 team of Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) had their toughest day of the event so far, with scores of 12,10,8 moving them from 2nd overall to 6th. Nevertheless, the 2015 European Champions are only six points out of bronze medal position with two races left before the Men's 470 medal race on Saturday. "Conditions were tricky today, but we made some errors," said McNay. "It can be hard to to quickly adapt in this fleet. We are a little frustrated for sure. We were not resilient enough today, but we're still in a position to challenge for the podium."