Danes take final 49er podium spot

by ISAF & RYA 8 Aug 2012 18:03 BST 8 August 2012

Denmark's Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang held onto third place in the 49er by finishing third in the Medal Race to take the bronze medal.

Austria's Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch led the Medal Race from start to finish and it looked like they would take bronze at one point. However on the second to last run the Danes took the left side of the course whilst everyone went right and it paid off as they climbed from seventh to third and back into the final podium spot.

Norregaard said, "Sometimes it goes right and sometimes it goes wrong. We didn't hit it right on the first one but managed to get back into it and that last one we were really happy to get it and get back into the game. Everything worked out really good for us.

"That was our chance at that moment. We had to make a little bit of separation between us to get in there. Just as we rounded the bottom mark we could see pressure filling in on the left and we went for it and it turned out to be really good."

At one point the Danes were struggling at the tail of the fleet and but they knew what they had to do before the Medal Race. "We knew all the way where we were," added Norregaard. "It was only coming to top mark at the last time where it actually looked like we had a medal within reach and we managed to bring it in.

"We went out and we won the bronze but it felt like a gold. Sometimes it feels like losing gold but not today, it was definitely a win of bronze."

Having already sealed 49er gold ahead of the final day Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) sailed conservatively allowing a light wind battle for bronze to ensue on the Nothe Course.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) had also clinched silver ahead of the Medal Race meaning the chase was on for bronze with any one of six teams in the running.

On their gold medal Outteridge said, "It was amazing. We've sailed brilliantly for four years and this week has been our best so far and its great it happened at the Olympics. It was a tough race to get around, it was great for us and awesome to enjoy with the Kiwis."

Overall Results: (top five)

1. Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) - 56pts
2. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) - 80pts
3. Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang (DEN) - 114pts
4. Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) - 124pts
5. Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis (FRA) - 124pts

www.sailing.org/olympics/london2012

49er Boys Already Have One Eye On Rio

Positive Stevie Morrison declared "Rio sounds lovely!" after the British 49er pair ended their London 2012 campaign in fifth position at Weymouth and Portland today (Wednesday 8 August).

Morrison and Ben Rhodes were left to rue mistakes made earlier in the regatta as they saw their hopes of a last-gasp bronze medal disappear despite a gritty final double points' medal race performance.

With Australia and New Zealand having already secured the gold and silver medals, no fewer than five nations were in the hunt for bronze in today's medal race, with the Brits in fifth place overnight, six points behind Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang (DEN) in bronze medal position.

But a third place in today's race consolidated the Danes' position overall, while fifth place for Morrison and Rhodes saw them end the day in the position they started it.

Morrison said: "There were two definitive instances during the week which cost us 24 points, which if you look at the points table would have made a big difference. You could say that is the reason we haven't won a medal. I don't think we weren't good enough. I think we are good enough, we made a couple of mistakes which makes it hurt more. In China we weren't really good enough whereas here I think we were. It's obviously pretty gutting but it's done now and we've got to move on. The trouble with the Olympics is you either win a medal or you don't. We haven't and it sucks!"

Rhodes said: "It was always going to be tricky today. Austria sailed a pretty epic race, then unfortunately for them Denmark got a good shift up the left on that last beat and got back to bronze. We came out with the aim of sailing a good race today, that's all we could really do. We're reasonably pleased with how we sailed today but this event for us was ultimately lost a lot longer ago. We were still in the hunt this morning, but didn't quite get the hand that we wanted."

In light, unstable airs, the Brits got off to a cracking start, picking to go up the right hand side of the course and rounded the top mark handily-placed in second behind the Austrian team of Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch, who themselves were scrapping for bronze.

With Denmark looking safely out of the picture towards the back of the fleet, the race looked like it was unfolding as a straight battle between the Brits and Austrians for the bronze. But the game started changing when Danes began to ominously move through the pack, and Britain dropped a place heading into the third mark.

By mark five the Danes were fourth in the race to edge themselves back into the bronze medal position, having taken a risk on the last upwind leg and picked up a puff of breeze to power to the mark. With the momentum now in their favour, Denmark continued their charge downwind to finish both third in the race and overall.

Morrison continued: "We have an awful lot to be proud of over the last three months, putting together a really fast boat and Ben and I working well together. We've done eight races on the Nothe course, which is very shifty and gusty and we've not done ourselves justice on this particular course, on some of the bigger courses we've really sailed a good week."

Rhodes said: "We're still good mates, still will be and you never know, maybe we will come and try again."

Morrison added: "I'd be up for it, Rio sounds lovely doesn't it!"

The Olympic Sailing Regatta runs from Sunday 29 July – Saturday 11 August.

www.rya.org.uk/london2012