US Sailing Team at the 2023 Sailing World Championships - Day 9
by US Sailing Team 20 Aug 2023 01:40 BST
August 10-20, 2023
2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships day 9 © US Sailing Team
All eyes were on the Women's Kiters today in one of the most dramatic semi finals to take place on the world stage. US Sailing Team's Daniela Moroz ended her regatta in 5th overall and qualified the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Women's Formula Kite.
Women's semi final A was over in one race when Great Britain's Lily Young secured the only race win she needed to advance to finals, and attention quickly turned to women's semi final B to see which of those four would join her in the finals to round out the overall top four.
Moroz only needed one race win to punch her ticket to the finals. However, when France’s Poema Newland won the first of the three she needed, it was still familiar territory for Moroz, having gone through a similar semis experience atPrincesa Sofia earlier this year when she didn't win the first semi final race. Poema won a second race and tied Daniela for the number of race wins needed to advance to finals.
Just when spectators thought it was all over as Poema crossed the finish line with what appeared to be her third and final required win to get to finals, the umpires announced that she, along with Great Britain's Madelein Anderson, was over the starting line early and both disqualified from that race. The race win went to Great Britain's Katie Dabson, now only one race win away from finals alongside Daniela and Poema.
With three kiters now inches away from qualifying for finals, tensions rose as all wondered if the next race was going to deliver that fourth finals spot or if Great Britain's Madeleine Anderson was going to stall it further by winning a race. Daniela and Madeleine started on starboard, deviating from the largely port-dominated starts of the day thus far. Poema and Katie darted off to the right and it became a speed test up the course as viewers waited to see which side was going to be more advantageous.
Daniela skipped in and out of first place, trading off with a tight fleet up and down the course. But right as she neared the lay line to the second upwind mark, she tangled with France's Poema Newland, knocked out of the sky and forced to retire from the race without a chance to catch up.
Moroz ended the 2023 Sailing World Championships in 5th overall but achieved her main goal this week: to qualify the US for the Paris Olympics in the Women's Formula Kite. After earning US Sailing's individual nomination last month at the Paris 2024 Test Event, this country qualification secured her spot on Team USA.
"The main goal for this World Championship was to secure a spot for the US in the Women's Formula Kite in Marseille and qualify for the Olympics, which I am really proud to have done," said Moroz. "I had plenty of good sailing throughout the regatta but my result after the final series definitely hurts and came down to some uncontrollable variables - and that's just how racing is sometimes. However, now I'm excited to reset, take some time off, and come back stronger than ever."
Also qualifying the United States for the Paris Olympics today was Charlotte Rose (USST) and Erika Reineke (USST) in the ILCA 6. Rose moved from 6th to 5th overall and will sail tomorrow's medal race, and Reineke ended her regatta in 15th.
The top 16 countries in the ILCA 6 at the end of Finals Series racing earned tickets to the 2024 Olympic Games, and Rose/Reineke ensured USA had a strong presence amongst the best of the best on the world stage.
Rose will take to the water for the ILCA 6 medal race tomorrow, August 20 at 1500 local time, 0900 ET / 0600 PT. Tune in to the live broadcast here.
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