470 World Championship at Sdot Yam Sailing Club, Israel - Day 4
by Andy Rice 27 Oct 2022 18:56 BST
24-29 October 2022
Young French show their seniors the way
A change of wind direction and race course format produced a change of fortunes on day four of the 470 World Championship in Sdot Yam, Israel. Race victories went to two teams that have been well outside of the top 10 but who seized their opportunity when it came along.
A win for Italy
Elena Berta & Bruno Festa (ITA) didn't get the best of starts and were forced to tack away on to port underneath the bulk of the fleet on starboard. However they found a gap and some clear wind to start working the shifts again. "After a couple of tacks we were already in a good position, in our own lane in clear air, and then we took the last shift for the mark and were leading," said Festa.
Even though the Italians won the race comfortably from the rest of the fleet, Berta said it was never easy. "You can never say it's easy but it is easier than fighting from the middle. When you are ahead you have choices and control that you don't have when you are back in the fleet." Their race victory lifts the Italians to 14th overall and with a fighting chance of making it into Saturday's medal race for the top 10 teams.
Rising Sun
Tetsuya Isozaki & Yurie Seki (JPN) have had a tough time of the Worlds so far, struggling at the back of gold fleet. But today they burst into the front of the second race and already led comfortably at the first mark, extending all the way for an easy victory which raises the Japanese to 21st overall.
In today's conditions, the fleet looked very evenly matched, which perhaps explains why only two of the 30 gold fleet teams managed to keep two scores inside the top 10. Keiji Okada and Miho Yoshioka (JPN) have propelled themselves up to 6th overall with scores of 6,5 from the day.
New kids on the block
The stand-out performers of the day, however, were the reigning Youth World and European Champions Matisse Pacaud & Lucie de Gennes (FRA), who outsailed their older, more experienced rivals to score two 3rd places. This up-and-coming team of 21-year-olds are having to revise their ambitions for the regatta. "We wanted a chance of getting into the medal race," said Pacaud. "Now we are up to 2nd overall, and we would like to try stay in the top five, maybe top three."
They named their boat after billionaire businessman Elon Musk's futuristic transport project, Hyperloop. "We wanted to choose a name to make our boat faster," said de Gennes. "We were really fast in strong winds when we started out in the 470, and Hyperloop seemed like a good name for the boat." So far so good for the young guns on their futuristic bullet train.
Germans get their bibs back
After the first race of the day, yesterday's stand-out team, Camille Lecointre & Jérémie Mion (FRA) briefly moved into the overall lead thanks to a 4th place finish. The Germans in the yellow bibs faltered with a 15th place, but in the next race the tables were turned. Luise Wanser & Philipp Autenrieth (GER) rallied with a 2nd place while Lecointre & Mion slipped to 23rd. So Germany retain the yellow bibs yet again, while it's the young French up to 2nd overall and the older French down to 3rd. Not that Lecointre was concerned. "Plenty to play for, we are in the battle," she smiled. Only a point away from the podium are Jordi Xammar & Nora Brugman (ESP) whose 2nd place started to make them a threat for the overall lead, but whose subsequent 18th place dropped the Spaniards down again. It was a typically inconsistent set of scores that most teams could relate to, the yellow bibs included.
Swim when you're winning
As the Germans crossed the line in 15th place, Wanser said to herself and to Autenrieth. "Now the pressure is on, it's time to perform and time to shine," she said. "I said to Philipp, 'let's stick to the basics, just do what we have been doing in all the other races'. Now we're getting to the end of the regatta and it's how you control yourself in your own mind. I'm really enjoying this regatta, really enjoying Israel. Swimming in the morning, I'm having such a great time here."
Friday's two scheduled races will conclude gold fleet competition, after which the top 10 will go forward to the double-points medal race on Saturday. First start on Friday is set for 1300 hours. For live tracking and live broadcast of the racing, go to www.sport5.co.il/articles.aspx?FolderID=6045&docID=418043
Results after Day 4: (top three, 7 races)
1. Luise Wanser & Philipp Autenrieth (GER), 38 points
2. Matisse Pacaud & Lucie de Gennes (FRA), 45 points
3. Camille Lecointre & Jérémie Mion (FRA), 50 points
Nations Trophy - France takes the lead!
France has overtaken Germany in the 470 Nations Trophy ranking after day four.
Germany was leading since day one, but now the battle is still on as only one place separates the two nations. Spain is in third with Great Britain and Italy in close range.
To get all the news, photos and updates from the racing, go to 2022worlds.470.org