Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta - Overall
by ISAF 23 Aug 2015 08:58 BST
15-22 August 2015
Nineteen Nations take Test Event medals
After eight days of competition the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta concluded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with nineteen nations claiming medals.
One year before the Olympic Sailing Competition the sailors showed their mettle on the race tracks that will be used at Rio 2016. Many of the test event medallists will win an Olympic medal in one year's time, highlighting the importance of sailing's test event.
Sailing, as a sport, depends on a number of factors and relies on the conditions that are prevalent at the time of asking, from wind speed, wind direction, tidal patterns and much more. These can change in an instance and the 326 sailors from 50 nations will walk away with key knowledge, data and lessons learnt as they spend the next 348 days preparing for what is to come.
The Men's and Women's 470, Finn and Nacra 17 fleets drew the competition to a close on the Pão de Açúcar race track. With Christ the Redeemer looking over the racing area and Sugarloaf Mountain standing tall the sailors enjoyed another southerly breeze ranging from 8-12 knots ensuring great racing.
Nacra 17
Australia's Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin claimed gold in the Nacra 17 with a complete performance across the 12 race series.
The Australians finished every race within the top eight and their consistency proved to be invaluable as they won over France's Billy Besson and Marie Riou by five points.
"This has been a really tricky week and we are super stoked," said Waterhouse through a beaming smile. "I'm so proud of my cousin Lisa and we've been working to do this together for about eight years now and there's one more goal in mind and that's where we are heading. This is just an awesome way to end it with one year to go."
Waterhouse and Darmanin's multihull sailing partnership stems from the days they competed together at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, an event they won in 2009 on Brazilian waters. Six years on and there's another gold medal on offer in Brazil that they have their sights set on, "It's great to win this week but we want to be winning in 348 days' time," commented Darmanin. "Every one of those days is going to count and we're just going to keep working really hard to make sure we will be there then.
"We got second at the world's this year which we were really thrilled with but we really wanted to bring home gold here on the Olympic waters. This is our first time racing in Rio and we've taken to it well. It's a pretty tricky place but we're going to be back."
Austria's Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank claimed a convincing Medal Race victory leading from start to finish but the performance of the day came from Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA). Over the startline as the race commenced the French duo had to get turn back with the Kiwi and German teams as their rivals gained an early advantage.
The French pair pressed hard and came through in second which handed them silver. A ninth from Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) relegated them from second to third whilst Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner (GER) missed out on bronze by a single point.
Men's 470
It was every man for himself in the Men's 470 with minimal separation between the top five sailors heading into the Medal Race.
The advantage was in the hands of Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) but the leading teams all had a shot at gold. Every team stuck to their own plan and it was Australia's Mat Belcher and Will Ryan who came out on top to take a second Olympic test event gold.
Throughout the race the gold medal could have gone a number of ways. Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion (FRA) put themselves in the driving seat by grabbing the lead and maintaining it to the finish. Belcher and Ryan knew what had to be done and managed to push ahead, obtaining some daylight between themselves and the rest of the fleet in second.
Pushed hard by Switzerland's Yannick Brauchli and Romuald Hausser, the Australians maintained their spot and as they came through in second, they watched the Croatians come through in eighth which handed them gold.
"This is a really good stepping stone for us," said Belcher. "We had a really tough regatta in the beginning. We felt we were sailing really well and the disqualification halfway through put a lot of pressure on Will and I. It was nice that we were able to overcome that and come away with a win. There's a lot of work to do but we're pretty happy with how we're going.
"For us the focus is about next year. Every day, every week and every month we're training and it's all about next year."
Ryan added, "We're really happy with how it's going and hopefully in one year's time we can repeat what we did today."
A French race victory promoted them to silver whilst Fantela and Marenic picked up bronze, finishing a single point ahead of Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP).
Women's 470
Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) claimed gold in the Women's 470 after overnight leaders Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) were penalised on the race track.
The advantage belonged to the Brits going into the race but they had to do penalty turns on the race track and they slipped to the back of the pack where they remained through the duration of race.
The Americans finished fourth in the Medal Race, enough for them to seal gold by seven points over the Brits.
"It was awesome," Provancha expressed as she began to describe the Medal Race. "We were really trying not to be over the line. Luckily for us the British got themselves in a bit of a situation early on in the race and it put them quite far behind. From there we were in defence mode and things worked out well for us."
Haeger and Provancha have always been in the mix for medals in the Women's 470 and in many cases it's been close, but no cigar. That phrase has been eradicated from their name now and Haeger was beaming with joy on Flamengo Beach at the conclusion of the day, "A takeaway is that we can actually do it. This is our first major regatta win and I'm so proud of her [Briana] so it's within our grasp and we can hopefully come back next year and do the exact same thing.
"[The level in the Women's 470] is getting higher, higher and higher and that's why this win kind of solidifies it for us that we are right up there. Even though people are taking steps we're right there with them. It's an exciting time."
New Zealand's Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie held on to bronze with a Medal Race second.
Finn
Giles Scott (GBR) made it two test event victories out of two in the Finn as he extended his unbeaten run.
Going into the Medal Race there was minimal separation between the top sailors. Pieter Jan Postma (NED) held the lead but only had a one point advantage over Scott. Tapio Nirkko (FIN) and Jonathan Lobert (FRA) were also in touch and in with a shot.
Tension was high in the build-up and during the race and as Scott said himself, "it was a stressful one.
"PJ [Postma] fired off left down the first run and caught up a lot. He took the other gate and then got a decent shift to get right back to a boat length behind me. At the same time the Finnish guy was on the left and it was a very hard race to manage but I managed it somehow."
Scott finished in fourth which gave him gold whilst a second for Nirkko pushed him into silver.
Postma had led the event from the opening day but dropped to third after an eighth and looked visually gutted ashore after racing, "So we just did the test event 2015. I just finished in bronze," sighed Postma as he paused for thought, "It was an exciting week. It was good racing and a good fight. Also today on the Medal Race it was a great fight.
"I think I'm on a good road, a good road up but today was a little bit tough for me as I lost first and went into third. In the race I think the left was paying. I started left from Giles but then I lost some speed and I couldn't hold a lane and that was a bit of a problem. I had to tack away so it wasn't a good first upwind. I had a nice downwind. On the second beat we came close together, only a few metres apart but on the downwind we were only two boat lengths apart and Giles had a bit more speed so he won.
"Positives? I qualified [for the Olympic team] as I finished in the top three here. I wanted a top three and I did it. So that's in the pocket. We'll do some more training, qualify the country in Takapuna but let's not forget we sailed a good regatta here with all the Finn sailors and I'm thankful to be here."
The Medal Race bullet was picked up by Josh Junior (NZL) who finished fifth overall.
The countdown to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is now fully on. In 348 days, 380 sailors will do battle for the ultimate honour within the sport, an Olympic gold medal.
Results at www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/results
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Gold, Bronze for Team Jolly and five top fives (from Yachting New Zealand)
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie have won bronze in the Women's 470 at 2015 Rio Test Event today adding another medal to the gold secured by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke in the 49er class yesterday.
Another two top five finishes were added to the New Zealand results today with Josh Junior in the Finn class, and Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders in the Nacra 17 both finishing 5th overall.
Women's 470
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie concede that an average first half to 2015 Rio Test Event put them in catch up mode and they were pleased to turn things around at the mid-way mark and secure a podium finish today.
"We're actually pretty happy with it. I think we sailed well for the last half of the event but we had such a shocker in the first half that I think this was about as good as we could come back with so we're happy to pull it together at the end," says Jo Aleh.
Lying 3rd going into the medal race today in Rio silver or gold were a hard ask for the kiwis after mixed results over the opening days of the regatta and with more than one crew within reaching distance on points, Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie had a job on their hands to defend the bronze medal position today.
Polly Powrie explains, "We were in and out of the bronze medal on the first upwind beat and the first downwind, and then we managed to solidify 2nd place in the race which gave us the bronze medal. So we're pretty happy to pull that one off."
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) were well placed for the gold medal today but it slipped from their grasp when they finished last in the medal race and USA's Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha stole the overall victory.
During 2015 Aleh and Powrie, known as Team Jolly, have now stockpiled seven podium finishes at the major international regattas in the Women's 470 class including victories at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Princess Sofia Regatta and the y claimed the Women's 470 European Championship title.
The Men's and Women's 470 World Championships are on in October in Haifa, Israel.
Finn
Josh Junior romped away for a medal race win in Rio today in the Finn finale.
Lying 5th going into today the win wasn't enough to alter his overall position and he wraps up the regatta with that as his final result.
"I had a great medal race," says Junior. "I ended up winning the last race of the regatta and you know it's a great way to finish the event, so really, really happy."
"It is a good result, but I always wanted more. Hopefully next year can be better, but fifth is okay and I will just keep moving forward."
"I was reasonably resilient throughout the week and you know, I kept chipping away. Things weren't really going my way, so I felt like a hung pretty tough, dug deep and got a good result at the end of it."
Like the rest of the team Junior says familiarity with Brazil is critical. "Just getting used to the environment - living here, eating here, sailing here - all of that stuff is really important and we've been here two of three times already. It's about building up our knowledge of the place."
25 year old Josh Junior, who hails from the Worser Bay Boating Club in Wellington has had an impressive run in the Finn class this year so far, with consistent top ten finishes at the major regattas around the world.
He was on the podium at the Finn European Championship, with silver and at ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth with silver again.
Later this year Junior, along with NZL Sailing Team-mate Andrew Murdoch and other kiwi Finn sailors will have the opportunity to contest their 2015 World crown in front of a home crowd when Takapuna Boating Club hosts the prestigious Finn Gold cup this November.
Junior is excited; "It's going to be awesome. We're going to have eighty of the world's best Finns in New Zealand, and it's going to be a good world champs and it will be good to try and medal there – go a bit better and win a medal at home – it would be really cool."
Nacra 17
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders went into the final double-points race in 6th overall, and a decent final race sees them lift their placing to record a top five finish at 2015 Rio Test Event.
The Nacra 17 medal race was bumped from yesterday's schedule and they were first to hit the medal race course today in Rio to do battle for the podium.
With the crews behind them in the standings unable to catch up on points Jones and Saunders had nothing to lose, and the kiwis put it all on the line for the best outcome possible. Unfortunately they pushed the limit a little far and concerned they'd hit the start too early they went back for a penalty turn, before charging back through the fleet to cross the line in 4th and end the regatta in 5th overall.
Saunders describes today's medal race, "It was definitely eventful. We started and we thought we were over the start line, so we went back and we were pretty much on the back foot from there, but we fought really well in the race and actually got into 2nd at the last top mark, unfortunately we couldn't quite hold it in the last downwind. But it was a good race from us all in all."
Jones adds, "It's a bit frustrating since we were so close."
On their overall performance during the week she explains, "The races that have gone well they've gone really well and we've got a lot of top three's in our placings over the week, but it's just getting rid of the bad races and we'll be right up there I think."
Saunders commented on what they will take away from the week of racing at the Olympic venue, "I think we've learned more about the Rio conditions, you know we really feel like Rio can throw anything at you so you've got to be a pretty complete sailor and have a good set of skills for different conditions. We really like sailing here so we're in a positive mid set going forward for next year."
Jones (21 years) and Saunders (24 years) paired up to sail in the mixed multihull class back in 2013 when it was announced as the multihull event for the 2016 Rio Olympics. This year they finished 4th at the Nacra 17 world Championships sailed in Arhus, Denmark in July.
49er
Yesterday Peter Burling and Blair Tuke took 49er gold in front of a beach crowd at the Olympic sailing venue on Guanabara Bay. In their medal race they played a conservative game plan covering the only crew with the potential to steal the overall win from them.
Burling and Tuke have totally dominated the Olympic 49er class over the past twelve months, and indeed the past three years, with an unprecedented string of consecutive victories. Burling and Tuke have now won 20 major events in succession. No other 49er sailor has ever been unbeaten for 12 months, let alone three years.
Here in Rio they've stamped it home once again. Significantly this victory is on the Olympic Games race track and they remain the crew to beat at the one year to go mark.
49erFX
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech have wrapped up the regatta in 4th overall. The kiwi skiff women sailed a strong medal race yesterday to take 3rd place on the water, but it wasn't enough for them to grab a place on the podium.
"A challenging week in Rio," report Maloney and Meech. "We lacked consistency in our racing having some glamours, as well as a few too many shockers leading us to finish fourth overall."
"This position isn't too much fun, so with a year to go we will make sure to make it count! Time to learn and grow!"
Maloney, 23 years and Meech, 22 haven't finished outside the top ten at all the major international regattas this year with a silver medal at ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth in June. Later this year they head to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the 49erFX World Championships in November.
Laser
Yesterday was a day of mixed fortunes for Andy Maloney in the Laser fleet posting a 2nd to start the day strongly. Unfortunately the 25 year old from Murrays Bay Sailing Club wasn't able to replicate that in the second race of the day and he was edged out into 11th and didn't sail today's Laser medal race.
"A solid 2nd in race one yesterday was completely undone with a shocker in the final race. Very disappointed to end the event with my worst race and drop out of contention," reflects Maloney.
"On the positive side, I am beginning to feel really comfortable in the Rio sailing conditions after this stint, which gives me some good confidence moving forwards at this awesome venue. Time to learn from it all, and make gains."
Men's 470
Men's 470 pair Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox were back on the water today sailing one race in which they placed 13th. Their week was interrupted when Willcox had to sit out on a day of racing on the doctor's recommendation and they conclude the regatta in 20th overall.
Two Gold Medals & one Bronze for Australia at Olympic Sailing Test Event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (from Australian Sailing)
Jason Waterhouse (NSW) and Lisa Darmanin (NSW) as well as Mathew Belcher (QLD) and Will Ryan (QLD) have won a Gold Medal for Australia in the Nacra 17 and Men's 470 class respectively at the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, 22 August 2015 local time.
Cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin kicked-off the final Medal Race Day in Rio with a Gold Medal in the Nacra 17 class, which will premier on the 2016 Olympic program. The pair put together a complete performance across the 12 race series.
The Australians finished every race within the top eight and their consistency proved to be invaluable as they won over the current World Champions France's Billy Besson and Marie Riou by five points.
Olympic gold medallist Mat Belcher and World Champion crew Will Ryan followed suit and claimed gold in the Men's 470 class after finishing the final Medal Race in second and taking home the overall win.
This makes it their third win on Rio waters after winning last year's test event as well as the Copa Brasil de Vela in December.
The third Australian crew in Saturday's Medal Races, up and coming Finn talent Jake Lilley (QLD), secured a ninth pace in the Medal Race and overall eighth.
On Friday (21 August) Tom Burton (NSW) won the bronze medal in the Laser for Australia in a nail-biting final race in the Laser class, which saw Burton move in and out of the medal ranks throughout the race.
Olympic Gold Medallist Nathan Outteridge (NSW) and Iain Jensen (NSW) finished a confusing final Medal Race in seventh and the event outside the medal ranks in overall sixth.
Five out of the six Australian Sailing Team competing in Rio qualified for the top-ten Medal Races with Australia winning two gold, one bronze across the five classes.
And with just under one year to go to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Yachting Australia's Performance Director Peter Conde is satisfied with the learnings at this event:
"It's been especially fantastic to see our youngsters and recent additions to the Team Jason and Lisa win Gold and knock-off the current World Champions at this regatta. It's important for us at a test event to get results but what's most important is that we have learnt a lot about the venue," Peter Conde said.
It's a tricky venue and we learnt a lot about the current, the wind and what racing is going to be like here. E.g. sometimes there's no wind outside the bay, but inside the bay, they can change courses, they can reschedule races for different courses. We now have six courses here and it was important for athletes and coaches to learn about them all.
Overall we are happy with how it all went here. Obviously there were a lot of discussions about the water quality here and it still concerns us, but when we're here for racing we need to focus on doing the job and to set the foundations for next year."
Mixed-multihull – Nacra 17
Cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin carried the yellow leaders jersey over the last two days of fleet racing and never let it go, crossing the finishing line of the Medal Race in fifth place and thus securing overall first after a consistent week.
With this result they beat current World Champions Billy Besson and Marie Riou from France into second place.
"This has been a really tricky week and we are super stoked," said a beaming and moved Waterhouse. "I'm so proud of my cousin Lisa and we've been working to do this together for about eight years now and there's one more goal in mind and that's where we are heading. This is just an awesome way to end it with one year to go.".
The 23-year old pair most recently won the silver medal at the Nacra 17 World Championships at the beginning of July and took home the win at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth and Portland in June. They are currently ranked No.3 on the ISAF World rankings and qualified the boat class by winning bronze at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander in September last year.
Their multihull sailing partnership stems from the days they competed together at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, an event they won in 2009 on Brazilian waters.
Six years on they have their sights on another gold medal, "It's great to win this week but we want to be winning in 348 days' time," commented Darmanin. "Every one of those days is going to count and we're just going to keep working really hard to make sure we will be there then.
"We got second at the world's this year which we were really thrilled with but we really wanted to bring home gold here on the Olympic waters. This is our first time racing in Rio and we've taken to it well. It's a pretty tricky place but we're going to be back.
"Jason kept his cool, made some good decisions. We sailed an awesome week so it was good to top it off in the Medal Race."
Two Person Dinghy – Men's 470
There was a lot of pressure for Olympic gold medallist Mathew Belcher (QLD) and Will Ryan (QLD) going into the final Medal race with the top nine boats all in reach of a gold medal in Saturday's double-point Medal Race.
But in the end the experience of the current World #1, London 2012 Gold Medallist and five-time World Champion Mathew Belcher together with dual World Champion crew Will Ryan paid off. A second place behind France in the Medal Race secured them the win by two points.
It was challenging week for the pair with up and down results, including a disqualification in a race at the beginning of the regatta and the relief was tangible when they came off the water.
"This is a really good stepping stone for us. We had a really tough regatta in the beginning. We felt we weren't sailing well and the disqualification halfway through put a lot of pressure on Will and I. It was nice that we were able to overcome that and come away with a win. There's a lot of work to do but we're pretty happy with how we're going," Mat Belcher said.
"For us the focus is about next year and there is a lot of work to do between now and then. Every day, every week and every month we're training and it's all about next year."
"We've all learnt a lot this week and it's been really difficult for us. We're really happy and looking forward to a bit of rest and time with our families and then we'll start training again."
And asked about the secret of success of the Australian Sailing Team Mat Belcher added:
We've got a really good support system. The Australian Sailing Team, the coaches, our support staff and the other athletes all work together. It's a great feeling. We feed off of each other's success and we've got a lot of talent. We're trying to prove it every day when we go out on the water and we want to be world number one."
We're really happy with how it's going and hopefully in one years time we can repeat what we did today.
Belcher and Ryan have proved to be a winning combination and have been on the podium at every event they have competed at since they started sailing together at the end of 2012.
Finn
Finn sailor Jake Lilley (QLD) put in a strong last day of fleet racing and qualified for the Medal Race ranked seventh. The medals were are out of reach but in a solid performance Lilley finished ninth and the event in overall eighth.
Being the first time in Rio Lilley was excited to get the opportunity to race on the Olympic waters despite a tricky medal race.
"It was a really tricky medal race, here right under Sugarloaf, where we race. It's very shifty, quite light and a lot of pressure differences, so it made for a tricky race. Up front, it was a really good battle for the medals and for myself, I didn't have a great race, but it was a fantastic experience and I can really chalk it up for next year," Lilley said after racing.
And about the week as a whole he added: "The week didn't go quite as planned for me. I really struggled in the beginning, but I started to come good in the end. We've learnt a lot about this place in the last month and it really bodes well for next year's Olympics. And I'm really stoked for my team mates Jas & Lisa, Tommy and Mat & Will!"
Lilley is the up-and-coming Finn Sailor on the Australian Sailing Squad and secured the Test Event spot after convincing performances, including qualifying the boat at last year's World Championships, a bronze medal at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Miami in January, eighth at the Finn European Championships, as well as sixth place at the recent ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth and Portland in June. 21-year old Lilley joined the class in 2013 and is one of its fastest improvers.
Haeger & Provancha (USA) come from behind to take 470 Gold (from US Sailing Team Sperry)
US Sailing Team Sperry Women's 470 athletes Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) claimed gold at the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (the second and final Olympic Test Event), coming from behind and winning the top spot during Saturday's double-points medal race. The result stands as a significant career achievement for the American pair, and a clear indicator that should they win the US Olympic Trials, they will be firm medal contenders at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the Men's 470 class, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) finished 6th in the medal race and 7th overall after battling at the top of the fleet for much of the week.
A year ago at the first Olympic Test Event, Haeger and Provancha entered the medal race in a three-way tie for the lead, and finished outside of the top three in frustrating fashion. This time, however, the Americans would not be denied. "It doesn't feel real," said Haeger, a US All-American athlete and ICSA College Sailor of the Year. "We've been battling this whole regatta, and had a great final series. The last race yesterday we struggled a bit, so to pull through in this medal race, and to be wearing these [medals], is so cool."
When asked what made the difference this year, Haeger said it was another twelve months spent with their coach, 470 legend Dave Ullman (Newport Beach, Calif.). "We've got Dave Ullman on our side. That's a big plus on our end," said Haeger. "We've gotten our medal race swagger on, and I'm really excited. Everything seems to be clicking together." Provancha said she's pleased with the momentum that their campaign continues to build. "This was huge for us, especially leading up to our worlds next month in Haifa [Israel]," said Provancha. "In terms of sailing in Rio, we've been training here a lot, and working really hard. If I learned anything this week down here, it's to be ready for anything. You have to be able to adapt."
Haeger also identified a strong team culture as a contributing factor in their success this week. "You could see it as we came in off the beach," said Haeger. "There were American flags flying, tons of people there, and it was such a cool atmosphere. We share info [about sailing conditions in Rio] and every little bit helps. We have so much talent on this team, in every class, and the combination of [US Sailing Team Sperry] coaches and sailors has been really great."
In the Men's fleet, 2015 470 European Champions Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) spent much of the regatta in podium position, but were unable to defend their hard-earned leader jerseys during the regatta's final days. McNay and Hughes entered today's medal race with a shot at the podium, but their task become significantly harder when the American bat was called over the starting line early (OCS), and had to return. "The boats to leeward of us were for over for sure, but it took us a few seconds to realize that we had been penalized as well," said McNay. Despite the tough start, the US Sailing Team Sperry veterans fought their way back into the race. "Our pre-race plan for the first beat was absolutely correct, so by following that despite the OCS we made up massive ground. Thankfully, we re-entered the race, fought hard from there, and finished 6th in the medal race and 7th overall." When asked to reflect on their results, McNay was upbeat. "We absolutely feel that we showed to ourselves and others that we will be medal contenders in August 2016. The back half of our event didn't go as well as it could have, but we're confident that when we firm up some details of our program we'll be able to get it done when it counts."
Racing at the 2015 Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Olympic Test Event) took place from August 15-22, with medal race occurring over the final three days of competition.