28th Delta Lloyd Regatta at Medemblik, Holland - Day 2
by Delta Lloyd Regatta press 23 May 2012 21:37 BST
22-26 May 2012
Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik day 2 © Sander van der Borch
Fierce battle for the ladies in the RS:X
The second day of the Delta Lloyd Regatta started on Wednesday with very little wind. The wind increased slightly during the day and the sailors were able to get on the water after all, for the Sailing World Cup battle. The battle amongst the ladies in the RS:X Class was fierce. Hayley Chan from Hongkong took the lead from the Norwegian Jannicke Stalstrom, and the 20-year-old Dutch woman Lilian de Geus also reported to battle with a victory in the sixth race, which currently puts her in fourth place on the leaderboard.
In the Lasers, the Dutchman Roelof Bouwmeester took the first place from his compatriot and training partner Rutger van Schaardenburg. The difference between the two ‘Dutchies’ was a mere 2 points.
A thrilling battle ensued amongst the ladies in the RS:X Class on Wednesday. Hayley Chan worked herself up to the top position by winning the fourth race and then finishing second and eighth. She has a 2 point lead on the Italian Flavia Tartaglini, who initially did not want to start in Medemblik when she failed to obtain a ticket for the Olympics in Londen.
“I wanted to change my programme and stop competing in RS:X. My coach convinced me to finish the programme we had planned out for this year after all. I was not in a good mood when I arrived in Medemblik, but now that I’m in second place after two days, I do want to win. I won’t stop sailing and I think you will see me in a boat again. I’d like to keep going for a while. Sailing is my life,” said the Italian, who is at the top of the leaderboard after four World Cup competitions.
Lilian de Geus surprised everyone with a victory in the sixth and last race of the day. The young, 20-year-old Dutch girl was extremely happy. “I am showing people that I can compete at the top. I have come close to winning before and just fell short. Now I finally have,” said the Dutch girl, who did not make the Olympics either and was all the more disappointed that RS:X will be taken off the Olympic programme after London 2012. “I was mainly preparing for Rio 2016. There’s no point in that now.” De Geus will focus on Kitesurfing which will replace RS:X.
In the Lasers, Roelof Bouwmeester rose to first place on the leaderboard. He obtained two second places and a sixth place. He has a 2 point lead on his compatriot Rutger van Schaardenburg, who was the top scorer on Tuesday after the first day. “I sailed really well,” said the number 1 on the leaderboard, who is competing with Van Schaardenburg for a Dutch Olympic ticket.
For the male windsurfers in the RS:X Class, the Israli Sharar Zubari remains in first place for the second day. Like Tuesday, he won two races and came in sixth for one. With his 6 points, he has created a gap between himself and the French number two Pierre le Coq (15). Zubari’s compatriot Nimrod Mashiah, with whom Zubari is competing for the Olympic qualification, fell to seventh place as a result of a bad day.
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