Practice for Finns and Ynglings Abandoned

The British Yngling team was first to the hoist after practice racing was abandoned at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre on Thursday.

Sarah AYTON, Sarah WEBB, and Pippa WILSON (GBR) are favoured to win gold in the Women’s Keelboat –Yngling event category, and wasted no time returning to the centre ahead of their 14 rival teams.

After several days of moderate breeze it was a frustratingly calm day in Qingdao. The flotilla of regatta management, race committee and media boats, Finn and Yngling fleets had waited for over an hour for the wind to settle and fill under mostly sunny skies.

Following the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games tomorrow, the Finn and Yngling fleets will get the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition underway with their first two races scheduled for Saturday 9 August.

In the Heavyweight Dinghy - Finn event, Ben AINSLIE (GBR) will be aiming to win a third consecutive Olympic gold medal. After winning every single ISAF Graded Finn event he has competed in since the Athens Games, including both Olympic Test Events and this year's Finn Gold Cup (the World Championship of the class), he is a heavy favourite to stand on top of the Olympic podium once again. Despite the hype surrounding him and his celebrity status in Qingdao, AINSLIE is untroubled by the burden of expectation, "I think in my situation, my pressure comes from my own expectations and desires, because it really doesn't matter what others think," he said after today's abandoned race.