Table gets set at World Cup Gamagori

Gamagori, Japan (October 20, 2017) – The line-up for the first set of Live Medal Races tomorrow was confirmed today at the World Cup Series.

The day got off to an all too familiar start, for this week, with the wind once again largely absent. The northerly breeze picked up considerably though, and all eight Olympic sailing events made their way out to race just before midday.

For both the Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer (RS:X) and Men’s and Women’s Skiffs (49er/49erFX) fleets, today was the last opportunity to book their slots in Saturday’s Medal Races.

It was Pawel Tarnowski who sailed the conditions the best in the Men’s RS:X, improving on his third place finish in the first race, with two firsts in the day’s other two races. His excellent day out on the water means he climbs to first place with a one point advantage over China’s Mengfan Gao.

Afterwards a cheery Tarnowski exclaimed, “Finally, we could get some good racing in, having waited for long periods of time this week.

“We had three very hard races with a lot of pumping, a lot of wind changes and gusts. It was really challenging but I was able to gain some nice points.”

When asked about contending with the nerves of competing in a Medal Race, Tarnowski explained, “For sure, Medal Races bring more pressure than the qualifying series.

“We will prepare well, like we always do, and hopefully we get some nice wind. I would love to have another day like today.”

The Women’s fleet also completed three races on their final qualifying day. It is Japanese sailors Fujiko Onishi and Megumi Komine at the summit of the leader board, who will be dreaming of winning medals on home waters. Hei Man H V Chan, of Hong Kong, is third.

The 49er and 49erFX fleets also have their Medal Races tomorrow, so competition was fierce, with sailors pushing as hard as they could to achieve the highest possible finishes.

Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell lead their British teammates James Peters and Fynn Sterritt by five points, with Polish duo, Lukasz Przybytek and Pawel Kolodzinski third.

In the Women’s fleet it is tight at the top, as just four points separate the top three pairings. France’s Lili Sebesi and Albane Dubois lead by three points. Sayoko Harada and Sera Nahamatsu (JPN) lie second with Victoria Travascio and Maria Branz from Argentina, third.

The other four Olympic sailing events will decide their Medal Race fates tomorrow, Saturday, on the final day of their qualifying racing.

Pavlos Kontides (CYP) currently leads in the Men’s One Person Dinghy (Laser) continuing his recent good form after winning the class World Championships earlier this summer. New Zealands’ Sam Meech trails by ten points and Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini (GBR) is a further 20 points behind, in third.

In the Women’s One Person Dinghy (Laser Radial), Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) holds the overnight lead ahead of Josefin Olsson (SWE) and Emma Plasschaert (BEL).

Rio 2016 Men’s Two Person Dinghy (470) silver medallists Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) have dominated the fleet after six races. Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Wilcox (NZL) sit second with Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi (JPN) in third place.

The Women’s Two Person Dinghy (470) fleet managed two races on day four of the event. Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Irmina Mrózek Gliszczynska (POL) lead the pack. Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI) are currently second and Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka are third.

The first set of Medal Races are scheduled to begin at 12:00 local time tomorrow. There will be another four live Medal Races on October 22. Watch live below.

The opening event of Sailing’s 2017-18 World Cup Series is being held for 8 of the 10 Olympic events from October 17 with live Medal Races on October 21 and 22 to bring the week in Gamagori, Japan to a close before the series heads to Miami, USA.

Event details – Entry list – Results – Analytics – Facebook

North American contingent:
• USA: Henry Marshall (Laser), Erik Bowers (Laser), Chris Barnard (Laser), Erika Reineke (Laser Radial), Haddon Hughes (Laser Radial), Judge Ryan/ David Liebenberg (49er), Stu McNay/ David Hughes (470M).

• Canada: Robert Davis (Laser).

Live Medal Races – October 21

Live Medal Races – October 22

The World Cup Series is a World-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.

2017/2018 World Cup Series
October 17-22, 2017 – World Cup Series #1 – Gamagori, Japan
January 21-28, 2018 – World Cup Series #2 – Miami, USA
April 22-29, 2018 – World Cup Series #3 – Hyères, France
June / July, 2018 – World Cup Series Final – Europe

Source: World Sailing