2004 Paralympic Games at Athens, Greece - Day 3

Race victory for Team GB Sonar crew

The British Sonar team returned to form on day three of the Paralympic Games. They went into the day in tenth place overall and after a win in the first race of the day have moved up to sixth place overall.

Two races took place in sea breeze conditions, and the Sonar team of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas got off to a good start. They had good pace in the conditions and led the fleet across the finish line to score their first race win of the event.

Thomas said, “It was fantastic to win the first race of the day. We needed to get back into the regatta and this certainly helped, especially after we have been feeling a little low these last few days.”

The tricky wind conditions, that Athens is renowned for, were in full force in the second race of the day as the wind swung through 90 degree wind shifts and varied in strength. The British team managed a tenth place in these conditions which moved them up to sixth place overall.

“We feel a bit more upbeat after today, we had better results and some of the other teams also had mixed days which has opened it up a little. With three races left to go we will just have to worry about our races and focus on our own performance, and hopefully the rest will work itself out” commented Thomas.

The winner has again changed in the class with Dror Cohen, Arnon Efrati and Benni Vexler of Israel now leading by two points from Jens Kroker, Peter Reighl and Olaf Jacobs of Germany.

The 2.4mR class had a rest day today but will be back out in force tomorrow and Team GB sailor Allan Smith will be looking to move up from eighth overall. The Sonar fleet will enjoy a day of rest before the penultimate day of the event on Wednesday. The sailing events at the Paralympic Games conclude on Thursday 23 September.

Results after day three:

Sonar 1, Dror Cohen/Arnon Efrati/Benni Vexler, ISR (1,(DSQ),4,1,4,4) 14 pts 2, Jens Kroker/Peter Reighl/Olaf Jacobs, GER ((9),8,2,2,3,1) 16 pts 3, Udo Hessels/Macel Van De Veen/Mischa Rossen, NED ((6),4,5,4,2,3) 18 pts GB 6, John Robertson/Stephen Thomas/Hannah Stodel (11,2,9,(OCS),1,10) 33 pts

2.4mR 1, Thomas Brown, USA (4,2,1,1) 8 pts 2, Damien Seguin, FRA (1,1,4,5) 11 pts 3, Heiko Kroeger, GER (2,4,3,3) 12 pts GB 8, Allan Smith (9,10,7,6) 32 pts

Don’t forget that you can leave your messages of support for the team; just visit our online message board at www.gbrsailing.org.uk where you will also be able to find out further information on the events and the competitors.