2019 ILCA Laser Radial World Championship at Miho Bay, Japan - Day 5
by Ravi Subramanian 23 Jul 2019 18:33 BST
17-24 July 2019
It was a fine day for Laser racing at the Radial Worlds - clear skies and a mostly steady 18-20 knot Westerly. They call this the Kamikaze Wind. The velocity varied a bit, with gusts in the low 20s and lulls down to about 15. The heading varied five degrees around the average, maybe ten at a few points, but it was never sustained long enough for a major course change. It was a day to stay in phase and stay in the pressure.
The shake-up of the leaderboard for Radial Women's that began yesterday continued today. Yesterday's leader, Ecem Güzel (TUR), finished 26th in the first race today, which is now her discard. Several others in the top ten had double digit finishes in that race, as well, which was won by Josefin Olsson (SWE), working to recover from letter scores yesterday.
The top three in the second race were Line Flem Høst (NOR), Mária Érdi (HUN), and Emma Plasschaert (BEL), none of whom are in contention to win but their finishes influenced the standings for the end of today. Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) sailed the most consistently, with a 2nd and a 5th, and is currently leading. A second discard becomes available to the racers after one race tomorrow. For Rindon, a second discard will allow her to discard a 28th from the Qualifying Series, making her a strong contender to win the event.
In the Radial Men's Worlds, two races today brought a second discard into play. Simon de Gednt (BEL) now only counts a string of firsts and one second, discarding a UFD and a 23 and is the clear leader with 9 points. Zac West (AUS) is safely in second place with 20 points, followed by Mark Louis (AUS) with 39.
But berths for the 2020 Olympic Games is an important factor in the Women's Worlds - fourteen countries in the Gold fleet are competing for the ten spots allocated for this event. At the end of Day 5, Croatia (CRO), Argentina (ARG), and Australia (AUS) are likely to compete in 2020. Russia (RUS), Lithuania (LTU), Belarus (BLR), and New Zealand (NZL) would be qualified if racing ended today, but they are closely followed by Guatemala (GUA), Thailand (THA), Spain (ESP), and Saint Lucia (LCA).
One more day of racing, with two races scheduled, and the forecast calls for similar winds. We'll see what happens, but as of now:
Event Website - 2019worlds.laserjapan.org/radial
Results - 2019worlds.laserjapan.org/radial/results
Photo Galleries - www.facebook.com/2019-Laser-Worlds-JAPAN-284629198769700
Men's Results after day 5:
1. Simon de Gendt BEL 9 (20) pts
2. Zac West AUS 20 (32) pts
3. Mark Louis AUS 39 (72) pts
4. Guilherme Perez BRA 43 (75) pts
5. Erwan Lamoureux SUI 44 (97) pts
Women's Results after day 5:
1. Anne-Marie Rindom DEN 57 (114) pts
2. Ecem Güzel TUR 59 (89) pts
3. Tuula Tenkanen FIN 67 (115) pts
4. Marit Bouwmeester NED 68 (91) pts
5. Emma Plasschaert BEL 76 (97) pts
6. Charlotte Rose USA 76 (123) pts
7. Alison Young GBR 78 (108) pts
8. Josefin Olsson SWE 87 (144) pts
9. Marie Barrue FRA 90 (129) pts
10. Paige Railey USA 92 (149) pts
2020 Olympic Qualification after day 5: (14 countries for 10 places)
1. Croatia CRO 107 pts
2. Argentina ARG 151 pts
3. Australia AUS 163 pts
4. Ireland IRL 195 pts
5. Uruguay URU 199 pts
6. Cypress CYP 205 pts
7. Russia RUS 208 pts
8. Lithuania LTU 208 pts
9. Belarus BLR 209 pts
10. New Zealand NZL 212 pts
11. Guatemala GUA 255 pts
12. Thailand THA 258 pts
13. Spain ESP 260 pts
14. Saint Lucia LCA 261 pts
Irish sailors on cusp of Olympic Qualification by ISA
With just two races remaining at the Laser Radial World Championships in Sakaiminato, Japan to be sailed on Wednesday, both Irish sailors are within reach of qualification for Tokyo 2020. Ten nation places are being decided this week.
Aoife Hopkins (Howth, Co. Dublin) moved up a place after the penultimate day's racing to 41st place while team-mate Aisling Keller (Nenagh, Co. Tiperary) slipped down the standings from 40th to 49th.
However, Hopkins' overall position equates to fifth nation while Keller's result would be tenth nation: mathematically, it is still possible that both sailors could slip outside the criteria on the final day.
The Howth sailor was disqualified for premature starting in the opening race of the day though sailed the course amongst the leading boats. She then scored a 25th in the race that followed while using the single discard to drop the earlier disqualification.
Meanwhile, her team-mate from Lough Derg sailed well in the opening stages of both races but suffered on the downwind legs as conditions were the freshest of the series so far.
"Aoife did exactly what she needed to do after the disqualification - get stuck in and get a good result," said Rory Fitzpatrick, Irish Sailing's Head Coach. "Her confidence and momentum are growing with the experience of racing at this level."
Two final races are scheduled for Wednesday (early-morning Irish time) that will decide the world championship that is currently led by Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindom.
Subject to qualification for Tokyo 2020 at this opportunity, a selection trial series will follow next year. A further qualification opportunity also exists for European nations in Genoa in April.
Genoa will also be the qualification opportunity for the men's single-handed Laser event while Ireland's skiff sailors will seek qualification for the Olympics at the 49er and 49erFX men and womens' world championships in New Zealand in November.