Sailing World Cup Miami - Overall
by Daniel Smith and Stuart Streuli 30 Jan 2016 22:37 GMT
25-30 January 2016
Fully loaded tension, World Cup Miami wraps up
The tension on the water at Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella was fully loaded as Medal Races across the ten Olympic fleets drew the first big regatta of 2016, the Olympic year, to a close.
Many podium finishers from six days of racing in Miami will feature on the Rio 2016 pedestal in 188 days' time and Miami can be viewed as a marker of what is to come this year.
In a week plagued by grey skies and fickle breeze the sun shone brightly in Miami but the light winds remained.
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) came into the day as the only team who had gold wrapped up. In the remaining nine events it was wide open and in a shifty northern 6-8 knot breeze there were up, downs, disappointments and highs in their numbers.
Olympic medallists such as Robert Scheidt (BRA), Dorian Van Rijsselberge (NED), Evi Van Acker (BEL) and Bryony Shaw (GBR) showed their worth, taking the honours in their respective fleets. In the remaining divisions, several new contenders emerged including Diego Botin and Iago Lopez (ESP) and Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) who won in world class fields.
Nacra 17
Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) claimed gold in the Nacra 17, jumping up the leader board after a tense light wind Nacra 17 race.
The Dutch pair occupied third overall heading into the Medal Race with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) in pole position and Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger (SUI) in second.
Eight points split the trio beforehand with an unassailable advantage over the chasing pack. The sailors on the podium were decided, but the colour of the medal they'd receive was far from certain.
The leading Australians were penalised at the start and were up against it immediately, crossing the start line well behind the pack. Meanwhile, the Dutch pair got underway without fear and worries as the only way for them was up.
Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) ran away from the fleet to take the race win by a minute over Fernando Echavarri and Tara Pacheco (ESP).
The Dutch crossed the finish line third and had to watch the finishers to see if they'd moved up. Waterhouse and Darmanin crossed in seventh and the Swiss in ninth which gave them gold.
"Out there we used our speed well and we went to the left of the first upwind and it paid off," explained Mulder. "We were leading at the top mark and consolidated. We ended up third which was enough for the regatta win.
"We were in a perfect position to go full on today and take some risks."
Darmanin and Waterhouse ended up tied on 119 points with the Dutch but missed out via the Medal Race countback, settling for silver. Buhler and Brugger completed the Nacra 17 podium.
The Nacra 17 fleet will have to go through the emotions again in just a matter of days with the World Championships taking place in Clearwater, Florida, USA from 6 -14 February.
Laser and Laser Radial
When regatta leader Marit Bouwmeester (NED) was flagged by the officials shortly after the start, it appeared Evi van Acker (BEL) had the opening she needed to close the 6-point gap that stood between her and a gold medal. Indeed, Bouwmeester was 10th around the first mark. But van Acker was ninth. These positions held around the second mark. On the third leg, van Acker made her move.
"I went on the right side when the wind was dying, but I thought change was coming," said van Acker, the bronze medalist in the 2012 Olympics in London. "The wind turned to the right and I was there when it turned."
Van Acker went from ninth to third on the second beat and then picked up another place on the final run. Meanwhile, Bouwmeester, who had so little trouble moving through the fleet earlier in the regatta, was unable to make any significant gains during the second half of the race. Van Acker's second, to Bouwmeeter's seventh, was enough to flip flop the overall positions the two sailors held coming into the Medal Race.
Sarah Gunni Toftedal (DEN) struggled during the medal race and finished last. But none of her rivals for the bronze medal were able to take advantage of the situation and Gunni Toftedal held on to the bronze. Alison Young (GBR) was fourth, with Emma Plasschaert (BEL) in fifth.
Paige Railey (USA) won the medal race and while her move from 10th to eighth didn't factor into the podium standings it did earn her two additional places in her battle for the U.S. Olympic berth in Rio. Her primary rival, Erika Reineke finished 17th in the regatta and will have to make up 9 places on Railey in Part 2 of the U.S. Athlete Selection Series.
Displaying a veteran's poise, five-time Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt (BRA) sailed a steady medal race in trying conditions to win gold in the Sailing World Cup Miami. While the positions around him switched considerably over the course of the 25-minute race, Scheidt rounded each mark in fourth place and finished fourth.
"It was a tough race, the wind was light and shifty," he said. "I was worrying about the French guy as he was the one I had to finish ahead of to win today. He got to the [first] mark ahead of me, which made things very interesting. At the gate we had a split, which was lucky for me as I finished ahead of him.
"I sailed well this week. The Medal Races are always tough and very close. The day has a huge impact on the result and I took my opportunities today."
Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA), who made his international regatta debut the same year Scheidt won his third Olympic medal, started the day with a one-point lead in the overall standings. Though he didn't win the gold, he can be comforted that he was just a place away from defeating one of the sport's living legends. He's clearly moving up the ladder and in good position to improve upon his 10th in the London Games.
Scheidt, though pleased with his results this week, knows the work of an Olympic sailor is never done. He'll take some time to recoup, and then get right back to the grind.
"After this I am taking a break," he said. "In March I will be back training in Rio. Rio is going to be quite a difficult venue with challenging conditions. I've sailed there for 25 years and I still don't know the place. I'll try and get myself comfortable with the place."
Men's and Women's RS:X
Bryony Shaw (GBR) made a terrific comeback in the second upwind in the Women's RS:X to seal her third consecutive Sailing World Cup Miami gold.
After the first lap of the course, Shaw was as low as ninth, leaving Lilian de Geus (NED) first overall. Shaw knew what had to be done and her never say die attitude enabled her to fight and push up the fleet.
On the final upwind Shaw swiftly moved into seventh, sixth and at the top mark had overtaken de Geus and was third overall. She maintained that position through to the finish to seal the deal.
"This week was about consistency," said Shaw, a Beijing 2008 bronze medallist. "We had a lot of different winds this week so I was happy to sail well in the light winds and strong winds. The focus for more has been on training to prepare for the World Championships. We've had a really good quality fleet here so I am pleased to take the win today. It's good momentum to take into the World Championships."
De Geus wrapped up the week with silver and Peina Chen (CHN) completed the podium.
London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED) started 2016, an Olympic year, with a big, convincing win in the Men's RS:X.
Van Rijsselberge finished seventh in the Medal Race, his worst result this week, but his consistency over the series kept the pressure off him as he went in with a nice gap between him and the chasing pack.
"I like Miami and like racing here," said Van Rijsselberge after competition. "I've been coming here for eight years now so I've got the place sorted and I enjoy racing here."
Nick Dempsey won the Medal Race finishing six points off the Dutchman to pick up silver and Aichen Wang (CHN) rounded off the podium.
Finn
No class had more sailors enter the medal race with a shot at the gold. Six Finn sailors started the final contest with a legitimate shot at the medal. Adding to this was a light, shifty breeze that provided plenty of passing lanes. But when the dust had settled the top two sailors entering the race, Jorge Zarif (BRA) and Jonas Hoegh-Christensen, were the top two in the final results.
"It was really hard as everybody was really close before the race," said Zarif. "I thought the left side of the racing area was paying a little bit more. I tried to be there more than the others and it worked well."
Zarif held the lead around the first two marks, but dropped to fourth on third leg when a big left shift jumbled up the standings. On the fourth leg he ground back to second place, where he finished. Arkadiy Kistanov of Russia won the Medal Race and was able to vault from fifth to third in the overall standings. Jake Lilley (AUS) was fourth in the race and third in the overall standings.
For Zarif, who hadn't previously won a World Cup race, this was a significant victory as he prepares to compete for the home crowd in Rio.
"Next we will have 15 days of training in Rio now with Rafa [Trujillo] my coach and then we go to the Europeans, Palma, Hyeres, the Worlds and then back to Rio," said Zarif. "I was happy with the week I had, but I could have finished sixth or first today. That could have easily happened if something bad happened today. I just tried to do the best I could."
Men's and Women's 470
For the Men's 470 fleet, the crucial moment in the Medal Race came right at the starting gun. Stu McNay and David Hughes (USA), one of three teams that entered the race in a virtual tie for first, controlled the left end of the starting line and were able to tack at the gun and cross the fleet, putting themselves in a very strong position right out of the starting blocks.
"We saw an opportunity at the start and we were able to take advantage of it and get an early lead on the fleet," said McNay, a two-time Olympian in the 470. "Dave called some great shifts on the first upwind."
McNay and Hughes rounded the first mark with a 30-second lead over the fleet and never looked back, at least figuratively. In light conditions, no lead is ever truly safe.
"It was an easy race course to become frustrated with as it was very shifty and variable," said Hughes. "By the same token, the teams that did well at this event just embraced it and played it forward from whatever position they were in. We are happy to better them all in the end."
The most interesting battle of the race was for the silver medal, with Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) and Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP) rounding the first mark separated by just 4 seconds. On the second upwind leg the Greek duo was able to put over a minute on their rivals and all but clinch the silver medal. Jacob and Graeme Chaplin-Saunders finished second in the medal race and moved up a spot, to seventh, in the overall standings.
McNay and Hughes will hope to carry the momentum they earned in Miami this winter into the class's world championships in Argentina in February.
"This is the third of three events in Miami this winter and we can proudly say we have won all three of them," McNay said. "We felt that to do that many competitions back to back to back would be the best way to prepare ourselves for the upcoming World championships."
Consider it a job well done, on to the next challenge.
"There are many events between now and Rio and we are just going to chip away at one event of a time," said Hughes. "We've got lots to work on and as with any Olympic campaign there are a lot of different boxes to tick."
Shasha Chen and Haiyan Gao (CHN) started the Medal Race much the way they started the regatta, in last place. The first race of the event, which might seem like it took place a month ago given the twists and turns of this event, resulted in a DSQ for the Chinese team. Likewise, the first leg of the Medal Race didn't go well and Chen and Gao rounded the first mark in last place, 48 seconds off the lead and in real danger of missing the podium entirely.
But in the light and shifty conditions, persistence was the key; and passing opportunities were there for the taking. Chen and Gao found a few on each of the next three legs, moving to sixth on the first run and then to third on the final run. Meanwhile, their chief rivals for gold, Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar (AUT) and Fernanda Oliveira and Luiza Ana Barbachan (BRA) found the going much more challenging. With those teams finishing in eighth and 10th respectively, Chen and Gao claimed the gold medal, with the Austrians in second and the Brazilian team, which led for much of the regatta, in third.
49er and 49erFX
Diego Botin and Iago Lopez (ESP) ventured into the 49er Medal Race with a strong lead and as they came through in second, a convincing victory was signed, sealed and delivered.
Portugal's Jorge Lima and Jose Costa had an outside chance of overthrowing the Spaniards but Lopez felt no worries as he explained, "For us we had to take control of the Portuguese guys today. We had a 12-point advantage so we wanted to control them with some tactics to win.
"We finished second, which was a really good result for us and we won. We're really happy."
Lima and Costa settled for silver and Carl P Sylvan and Marcus Anjemark (SWE) completed the podium.
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) had gold all sewn up before the Medal Race so the pressure was off.
The real battle in the 49erFX was for silver and bronze with Jena Mai Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen (DEN) and Lisa Ericson and Hanna Klinga (SWE) split by one point.
Hansen and Salskov Iversen were sublime in the Medal Race. Chased by the Swedes they did not let up. They led from the off and used their superior boat speed to pull away and claim a well deserved silver medal.
From now on, it's full on to Rio 2016 with World Cups, World Championships and continental championships coming thick and fast before the flame is lit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August 2016.
The 470s, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 and RS:Xs will have to reset quickly with their World Championships taking place in February. The remaining fleets will hold theirs later on this year.
www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php
Gold and Bronze for New Zealand (by Jodie Bakewell-White, Yachting New Zealand)
The NZL Sailing Team has claimed two medals at 2016 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, which wrapped up today in Florida.
The medals came in the 49erFX women's skiff class and the men's single-handed Laser event at this regatta, which is the second in the 2015-16 ISAF Sailing World Cup series. Many of sailing's top Olympic campaigners from around the globe have been competing this week in Miami.
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech were awarded the 49erFX gold which was a certainty for them before starting today's medal race having out-sailed their international rivals over five days of fleet racing. Meanwhile Sam Meech, brother of gold medal winning Molly, came from behind to snatch bronze in the tough fought Laser class.
The 49erFX top ten were the last in the schedule of medal races today and enjoyed a slight increase in the breeze which was predominantly light in Miami today.
Wearing the yellow bibs the NZL Sailing Team crew of Maloney and Meech were the only crew across the ten Olympic fleets assured of gold and they sailed a safe and solid race to place 4th, leaving the Danish and Swedish crews to duke it out on the race track for the silver and bronze.
Consistent sailing throughout the week saw the kiwi women end the regatta 25 points clear of Jena Mai Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen who won silver.
The 49erFX fleet, including the kiwis, now prepare for their 2016 World Championships which are set to take place in Clearwater, Florida from 9-14 February at the same time and venue as the 49er and Nacra 17 World Championships.
Sam Meech has won bronze in the Laser fleet, which featured close to 100 sailors from around the world, after an excellent light wind medal race in Miami today.
A podium result looked like a tough ask for Meech, who was lying 12 points behind Rutger van Schaardenburg from the Netherlands going into today's medal race, however Meech crossed in 3rd, and the Dutch sailor crossed in 9th drawing them equal on 69 points. Meech is awarded the bronze medal on countback and will be delighted.
The NZL Sailing Team fern was prevalent in the Laser medal race today with New Zealand the only nation to have more than one sailor represented in the top ten – there were four kiwis!
Thomas Saunders finished today's race in 10th and closes the regatta in 7th overall. Andy Maloney was 6th today and 9th overall, while Michael Bullot was 8th today and 10th overall.
Olympic selection in the Laser class was a close fought battle in the lead-up to London 2012 and it's clear that New Zealand's Laser Squad have maintained their strength through this cycle on the road to Rio.
New Zealand Results:
49erFX
1st Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL Sailing Team)
19th Ellie Copeland and Erica Dawson (Aon Fast Track Squad)
Laser
3rd Sam Meech (NZL Sailing Team)
7th Thomas Saunders
9th Andy Maloney (NZL Sailing Team)
10th Mike Bullot
49er Skiff
25th Logan Dunning Beck and Jack Simpson (Aon Fast Track Squad)
27th Markus Somerville and Josh Porebski
36th Isaac McHardie and Trent Rippey (Aon Fast Track Squad)
Laser Radial
27th Sara Winther
Nacra 17
14th Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders (NZL Sailing Team)
26th Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson (Aon Fast Track Squad)
Jason Waterhouse & Lisa Darmanin win Silver (from Cora Zillich, Australian Sailing)
Australian Sailing Team's Jason Waterhouse (NSW) and Lisa Darmanin (NSW) have won the silver medal at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Miami in the mixed-multihull Nacra 17, which wrapped overnight (Saturday, 30 January 2016 EST local time).
Two weeks out from the 2016 Nacra 17 World Championships and six months out from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the two cousins and World #1 demonstrated their strong form after going into the final medal race in the lead and taking home silver. The pair was selected on the Australian Olympic Team in December.
Also selected in December to represent Australian at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games were London 2012 gold medallists Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (NSW), who finished the event in eighth. Australian Sailing Team mates David Gilmour (WA) and Lewis Brake (QLD) finished seventh.
Both the Nacra 17 and 49er/FX classes were utilising the Sailing World Cup Miami as a test event for their upcoming class World Championships in Clearwater, Florida from 7 – 14 February 2016.
In the Laser, Australian Sailing Team's youngster and World #2 Matt Wearn (WA) won the final Medal Race to finish fifth overall.
Australian Sailing Squad's Finn sailor Jake Lilley (QLD) posted a fourth in the Medal Race to finish the regatta in fourth.
While Australian Sailing has already qualified all of the three Paralympic classes as well as the nine Olympic classes it aimed to qualify for Rio 2016, final selection is still open in all but the 49er, Men's 470 and Nacra 17.
For the sailors with a confirmed spot in the Olympic Regatta the Sailing World Cup was about sharpening the tactical game, refining equipment, and testing the opposition. Others had a more immediate focus as they are in the midst of a selection series over the next few months.
The Nacra 17 and 49er/FX World Championships in Clearwater, Florida, USA and the 470 World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, followed by the Sailing World Cup in Hyères France at the end of April, will be the next major international regattas as the Australian Sailing Team continues to prepare for Rio 2016.