Heiko Kroeger shines in the 2.4mR at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres
by ISAF 25 Apr 2014 19:18 BST
19-26 April 2014
Heiko Kroeger (GER) shone in the 2.4mR as he came away with the honours as Paralympic racing concluded at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères.
The Sonar honours were decided in the Jury Room after racing with Great Britain's John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas taking gold ahead of the penalised French trio of Bruno Jourdren, Nicolas Vimont Vicary and Eric Flageul.
The 16-boat 2.4mR and eight boat Sonar fleets brought their racing to an end in an easterly 10-13 knot breeze with two exciting races apiece as it all went down to the final bout.
2.4mR
Coming into the day it was all to play for in the 2.4mR between Heiko Kroeger (GER), Damien Seguin (FRA) and Megan Pascoe (GBR).
Just a single point separated the trio with Kroeger on 13 points and the French and British sailors on 14.
Seguin went out with intent and took the opening race bullet by one second ahead of Kroeger whilst Pascoe only managed a fourth. "The race was really close. The first race Heiko was behind me for the entire race but I beat him just at the finish line," commented Seguin on Race 9.
With one race remaining it was a winner takes all scenario between Seguin and Kroeger who were tied on 15 points with Pascoe in with a shout on 17 points.
The final race went down to the wire with the German and French racers fighting from the off as Kroeger explained, "It was really exciting, I was leading with Damien and it was really tight in points.
"It was him or me.
"He was a bit ahead and I was trying to get in to a position where I could do something. On the second upwind there was a possibility because there was some shifts to the right and I took the right one and I got him.
"The last downwind was extremely interesting because there were some patches in the wind, big waves, and small waves and right at the finish line it was really choppy and I got stuck in some waves. Damien was accelerating so it was really close and hard work."
One second was the difference as Kroeger crossed the finish line ahead of Seguin to take gold. Kroeger concluded, "I'm really happy and really tired. It was a hard week and tough competition."
Pascoe came through in third in the final race and took a well earned bronze medal. From three ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas Pascoe has a gold from Miami, a Mallorca silver and completes the package in Hyères
2.4mR Results
Sonar
A British protest over the French team ensured the gold and silver medals were decided in the Jury Room as the two bullets secured by the French were scored a discretionary 20% penalty.
The French came away with a pair of 3DPI scores whilst the Britons second and fourth meant they took gold.
View the full protest decision.
Great Britain's John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas (GBR) ventured in to the final two Sonar races with a two point advantage over France's Bruno Jourdren, Nicolas Vimont Vicary and Eric Flageul.
Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie Solberg (NOR) and Colin Harrison, John Harris and Russell Boaden (AUS) came into the final day in with a shout of gold but the way the British and French teams were sailing they were always up against it.
The French team had the maths worked out and went out hard in the opening race to take the race win over the Britons by 40 seconds.
It went down to the final race with any of the top four able to take gold. In the end it was a case of two battles on the course as the French and Brits went head to head for gold whilst the Norwegians and Australians fought for bronze.
The French got the better of the start and took the bullet by 46 seconds.
But as soon as racing concluded the British team rushed ashore to file a protest against the French trio – the full decision is available here.
Robertson, Stodel and Thomas come away with gold, the French silver and Australians bronze.
Sonar Results
The Paralympic fleet will now turn attentions to the High Liner Foods IFDS Worlds which take place in Nova Scoatia, Canada from 15-24 August 2014. The regatta serves as the first qualification regatta for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition.
For all results and information visit the ISAF Sailing World Cup website, www.sailing.org/worldcup