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Hyeres Medal Races: Mission Accomplished!

Despite a pessimistic forecast, the intense medal race programme was completed as scheduled. The wind, light and often shifty forced the committee to adjust constantly the course. Sailing proved difficult and tested the skills of the ten teams in each of the ten Olympic classes engaged in the event.

The 470 men were the first one to start the Medal race’s show in front the harbour in Hyères. The wind, light and shifty, forced the race committee to reduce the course to a single windward return. The British took first place with the last two jibes to the finish claiming the Gold medal and their second title at the SOF.

The start of the Yngling, scheduled at the same time on the South area, was postponed with the wind shifting East. The Committees repositioned the racing areas to fit the new wind direction. Match racing specialists, Barkow/Howe/Capozzi (USA) excelled in the Medal race with a good start and speed to win the race and climb on the second step of the podium. After only one year in the Yngling, Athens Gold medallist in the Europe class, Siren Sundby (NOR) has won her first Grade 1 event regatta in the Olympic keelboat with Lise Fredriksen and Alexandra Koefoed.

A victory in the 470 women Medal race gives the Germans Stefanie Rothweiler and Vivien Kussatz the Silver medal in the SOF. World #2, Japaneses Ai Kondo and Naoko Kamata, 6th across the line, conserve the lead and claim their first Grade 1 event title.

The Finn Medal race won by Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) was sailed in very light wind that didn’t exceed 5 knots. The lead changed many time with the shifty conditions. Yesterday’s leader, World #1 Jonas Hoegh-Christensen conserves the lead to win the event for the first time after placing 2nd last year and third in 2006

In the Tornado, French Xavier Revil and Christophe Espagnon won the medal race with a safe lead over Dutch Booth/Nieuwenhuis and Belgium Brouwer/Godefroid. The Australians Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby, 2008 World Champions, conserve the lead in the regatta and add a SOF title in their already impressive achievements.

Paul Goodison’s (GBR) victory in the Medal race will not be enough to lift the British on the podium. Michael Leigh (CAN) and Andrew Murdoch (NZL) keep their earlier overall position on the podium, while Athens Silver medallist Andreas Geritzer (AUT) takes the Bronze after placing 4th in the medal race.

No surprise in the Laser radial fleet where the top 4 remain unchanged after Chinese Lijia Xu’s victory in the Medal race. World #3, Sarah Blank (AUS) has kept the command of the Radial fleet all week and has proved her skills in the breeze as well as in lighter air.

2007 RS:X world champions in both the women and men division have taken the Gold in Hyères. Ricardo Santos (BRA) has mastered the light conditions that have prevailed in Hyères these last two days. The Brazilian wins the Medal race and the event, proving his skills in all type of weather. Julien Bontemps will be the only French medallist in Hyères this year. He takes second in the medal race and the regatta.

The top three remain unchanged in the Women division. Sofia Keplacka (POL) is continuing in her good form winning confortably the regatta after her third place in Palma.

Recently crowned European champions, Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez continue on their good form in the 409er. Third in the medal race, the Spanish stole the lead of the regatta from American Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast. Vice European champions, Federico and Arturo Alonso (ESP) take third place. — Corinne McKenzie

Final podium places:

Finn
1. Jonas Hogh Christ (Denmark) 42
2. Edward Wright (Great Britain) 45
3. Gasper Vincec (Slovenia) 46

470 Men
1. Nick Rogers / Joe Glanfield (Great Britain) 39
2. Sven Coster / Kalle Coster (The Netherlands) 43
3. Carl Evans / Peter Burling (New Zealand) 56

470 Women
1. Ai Kondo / Naoko Kamata (Japan) 46
2. Stefanie Rothweiler / Vivien Kussatz (Germany) 51
3. Giulia Conti / Giovanna Micol (Italy) 62

Tornado
1. Darren Bundock / Glenn Ashby (Australia) 37
2. Francesco Marcolini / Edoardo Bianchi (Italy) 43
3. Mitch Booth / Pim Nieuwenhuis (The Netherlands) 48

Yngling
1. Siren Sundby (Norway) 44
2. Sally Barkow (United States) 51
3. Sarah Ayton (Great Britain) 51

Laser
1. Michael Leigh (Canada) 40
2. Andrew Murdoch (New Zealand) 52
3. Andreas Geritzer (Austria) 64

Laser Radial
1. Sarah Blanck (Australia) 20
2. Anna Tunnicliffe (United States) 46
3. Evi Van Acker (Belgium) 47

RS:X Men
1. Ricardo Santos (Brazil) 22
2. Julien Bontemps (France) 27
3. Przemyslaw Miarczynski (Poland) 30

RS:X Women
1. Zofia Klepacka (Poland) 25
2. Olga Maslivets (Ukraine) 43
3. Jannicke Stalstrom (Norway) 48

49er
1. Xabier Fernandez / Iker Martinez de (Spain) 50
2. Tim Wadlow / Chris Rast (United States) 50
3. Federico Alonso / Arturo Nest Alonso (Spain) 58

2.4 m
1. Damien Seguin (France) 11
2. Heiko Kroeger (Germany) 20
3. Thierry Schmitter (The Netherlands) 20

Sonar
1. John Robertson (Great Britain) 8
2. Jostein Stordahl (Norway) 16
3. Marco Collinetti (Italy) 30

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 6:39 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.