ISAF Match Race Rankings: 18 May 2014

In the latest ISAF Match Race Rankings released 18 May 2014, Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) holds on to her World #1 position in the Women’s ISAF Match Race Rankings whilst Ian Williams (GBR) returns to the top of the Open Rankings.

Women’s Rankings
There is no change in the top two of the Women’s rankings as Camilla Ulrikkelhom (DEN) holds off new World Champion Anna Kjellberg (SWE) to retain the World #1 position.

With three victories needed to win the final of the 2014 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Ulrikkeholm gained an early advantage by winning the first match of the final. The second meeting ended in a fierce fight around the course, but Kjellberg kept control and passed the finish line one boat length ahead of her opponent.

When the Swedes won the third match, they put Ulrikkeholm under great pressure to break back. In the fourth match the Danes got away ahead, but Kjellberg was allowed to tack away for clear air, found an advantageous wind shift and passed into a leading position which she was able to maintain to the finish.

The only two skippers in the top five to count results from the maximum eight events, Ulrikkeholm and Kjellberg will be chased down by new talent as the 2014 season unfolds. The celebrations on Kjellberg’s team were particularly poignant for bowman Annika Carlunger who has no less than seven World Championship silver medals and finally celebrated standing on top of the podium.

In the Petit Final, Caroline Sylvan (SWE) put up a tough fight against Stephanie Roble (USA) but the American crew proved the strongest. With a world championship bronze medal in her pocket, Roble climbs two places to World #3. Fourth place for Sylvan takes her up two places to World #6.

The only other women’s event adding points for this ranking release is the Grade 3 New Zealand National Championship. A silver medal in Auckland and eighth place at the World Championship sees Claudia Pierce (NZL) moving up six places to a career best at #9. The 2014 New Zealand national champion is Susannah Pyatt (NZL) who climbs twelve places up to World #21.

Click here for the Women’s Rankings.

Open Rankings
It’s very tight at the top of the open rankings and after a brief spell at #2, Ian williams (GBR) returns to the top spot in this release but with a margin of just 60 points.

Williams has fired out of the blocks in 2014 with four regatta wins and two second place finishes so far this year. A win at Match Race Germany, the first event of the 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), plus two ISAF Grade 2 regatta wins add points for Williams and shows his intent for the season.

Displaced back to World #2, Taylor Canfield (ISV) finished seventh in Langenargen, Germany. As the Alpari World Match Racing Tour gathers place the Canfield-Williams battle for the World #1 position will be one to watch in the next issues of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings.

In a rematch of the Match Race Germany final, Keith Swinton (AUS) defeated Williams at the ISAF Grade 2 Royal Southern Match Cup in Hamble, Great Britain and climbs back to his career best position of World #3.

As Helsinki, Finland prepares to host the 2014 ISAF Youth Match Racing World Championship next month, challenger Chris Steele (NZL) claims another five places on the open rankings to move up to World #17 following a win at the ISAF Grade 2 Chicago Match Cup Qualifier.

The highest ranked competitor will be Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) who picked up second place at the Grade 2 J80 Open Spring Cup in Helsinki and the regatta win at GKSS Spring Cup in Langedrag, Sweden to boost himself two more places up the rankings to World #12. The win in Langedrag also gives Aschenbrenner one of two qualification places to the next Alpari WMRT event, Stena Match Cup Sweden. Viktor Ogemn (SWE) takes the other place and holds firm inside the top 20 at #19.

Click here for the Open Rankings.

Source: ISAF News