Stellar performance sees Percy & Simpson clinch Star gold
by Lindsey Bell, RYA 21 Aug 2008 12:25 BST
9-21 August 2008
Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson have won Star class gold on a thrilling final day of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Regatta today, leaving Britain’s sailors with their best Olympic medal haul for 100 years.
Sydney 2000 Finn gold medallist Percy and Simpson, making his Olympic
debut, went into the race two points behind Swedes Freddie Loof and
Anders Ekstrom but with one eye also on Brazilians Robert Scheidt and
Bruno Prada behind them in third.
In a nail-biting encounter, Percy and Simpson executed a tactically
perfect race, the Swedes being forced to gybe on the first downwind run
and the Brits edging their noses ahead, a position they refused to
relinquish for the rest of the race.
At times, Scheidt and Prada, who had taken the race to the rest of the
fleet and built a big lead on the first lap, appeared to threaten the
gold, meaning Percy and Simpson not only had to stay ahead of the Swedes
but also finish in the top six.
But as the Brazilians fell down the fleet, it became a straight
head-to-head between Great Britain and Sweden and in a scintillating
sprint to the finish line, Percy and Simpson surfed over the line in
fifth place, with the Swedes 11 seconds behind in 10th for the gold to
go to the Brits with a final tally 45 points overall.
Speaking immediately after the race, Percy, who also beat Loof to gold
in Sydney, said: “It was unbelievable, so special. We felt good this
morning, I knew we weren’t going to bottle it and we didn’t. It’s been a
killer four years and I am so glad it’s behind me.”
Simpson added: “I’m shocked and over the moon. This week and this year
have been so hard and there are no words to describe how happy we are.
For the last year, everything has been focussed on this week, we’ve
worked so hard and it is just amazing. We’ve pulled it back from the
brink and it’s all come good for us.”
Loof and Ekstrom had to settle for bronze despite finishing on the same
overall points – 53 - as Scheidt and Prada, the Brazilians snatching
silver on account of them finishing higher up the fleet in the medal
race than the Swedes.
Percy and Simpson’s is Britain’s sixth sailing medal of the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games with Ben Ainslie (Finn) and Yngling trio Sarah Ayton,
Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson winning gold on Sunday, Paul Goodison taking
the top Laser prize on Tuesday, Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield clinching
470 men’s silver on Monday and windsurfer Bryony Shaw claiming bronze
yesterday.
This surpasses the Brits’ medal total at the past two Games in Athens
and Sydney where Britain won five medals apiece while the sailors’ feat
in Qingdao mirrors the achievements of the British sailing team at the
1908 London Games.
It also means for the third successive Olympics, Britain finishes the
regatta as the world’s top performing sailing nation.
RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park was a happy man. “It’s absolutely
fantastic, I’m over the moon with the medals and the gold for the Stars
is the icing on the cake.
“It’s a huge relief that we’ve actually managed to deliver against our
target. I’m really pleased that Great Britain is having a fantastic
Olympic Games and we’re playing our part in that.”
Park had particular praise for Star crew Andrew Simpson: “He’s a
brilliant sailor, I’m really over the moon for him particularly as he
has spent the best part of his life as the understudy and playing second
fiddle to Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, two of the best sailors of their
generation.
“But finally, he’s come out and he’s managed to add a little bit
something to Iain Percy’s game and it’s fantastic that he’s managed to
come away with a gold medal.”
Meanwhile, Leigh McMillan and Will Howden have finished the Olympic
Regatta in sixth overall after romping to medal race victory.
The pair went into the final medals’ showdown in ninth position knowing
that a medal was out of their reach.
But they ended their 2008 Olympics on a high, taking the Spanish boat of
Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz Blanco before the second mark and
winning the race, 14 second aheads of the Canada duo Oskar Johansson and
Kevin Stittle.
“It gives us some positives out of it and just shows really what we can
do, and what our abilities are,” said McMillan. “We’ve had a real tough
week and just a few key races went against us and that was the
difference between being in the medals and not at the end.
“It’s nice to actually come out and win the medal race, which is the
main race, and also to show what the Tornados and catamarans are capable
of doing in putting on a good show because they are incredible boats.
Hopefully there’s the opportunity to get the multihull back in the
Olympics for 2012 so we’ve got something to go for.”
Spaniards Echavarri and Paz Blanco won the title with 44 points, Darren
Bundock and Glenn Ashby (AUS) finished with silver on 49 and Santiago
Lange and Carlos Espinola (ARG) in third on 56. McMillan and Howden
finished on 68 points.