Four teams remain at WIM Series China

Shanghai, China (October 15, 2019) – After the morning briefing where the top four teams from the round robin stage earned the right to choose their opponent for the quarter-finals, racing in the final event of the 2019 WIM Series took off in conditions that were very similar to yesterday with a solid breeze of 14 knots gusting to 20.

With a total prize purse of $30,000 USD on the line, the top eight teams got down to business on the race course for the penultimate day of the inaugural 2019 China International Women’s Match Race.

The first quarter-final turned out to be a tight duel going to a fifth and deciding match between Clare Costanzo (AUS) and Margot Riou (FRA), with the Australian team showing their experience in the nimble Fareast 28R.

Costanzo shifted the asymmetrical gennaker to wing on wing to starboard, succeeding in giving a penalty to the French team just after the last windward mark in the fifth match, allowing the Aussies to safely sail into the semis.

Johanna Bergqvist (SWE) went out and sailed in a confident manner winning the second quarter-final 3-0 over French Skipper Margot Vennin. Tactician Julia Carlsson made the call for the favored pin-end and Team Bergqvist executed the plan which allowed them to be ahead from the start, giving them the freedom to play the wind shifts up the course. This tactic proved to be a winning recipe and they won all their matches by a comfortable distance.

The results of the morning quarter-finals turned out to put all French hope and pressure on fellow countrywomen Pauline Courtois and her Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team. The world number one and WIM Series leaders lived up to their ranking and gave a near flawless performance and did not give their Russian opponent Ekaterina Chashchina any chances to pass.

”It was at first a long day ashore so we were very happy to go on the water,” said Courtois. “The conditions were really fun and we loved it! It was a really great sailing time with quite a lot of wind. We wanted to do simple things and keep the maximum energy we could for tomorrow. We can’t wait to race more tomorrow with a chance to win the regatta … and the WIM Series trophy!”

As the third and final stop of the 2019 WIM Series, the China International will prove pivotal in deciding the 2019 WIM Series Champions.

WIM Series – Event details – Results – Facebook – Past winners

Format: Racing in the Fareast 28R is from October 12 to 16, beginning with the round robin where all teams will face each other. The top four teams from the round robin advance to the quarterfinals while the next six will have a second change in the repechage stage to advance to the quarter-finals. The semi-finals and finals will follow.

Standings in WIM Series 2019 (after two events)
1. Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, Pauline Courtois – FRA, 43
2. WINGS, Anna Östling – SWE, 38
3. Team Emerson, Marie Björling Duell – SWE, 30
4. Team Mac, Lucy Macgregor – GBR, 25
5. Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team, Margot Vennin – FRA, 25
6. L2 Match Racing Team, Marinella Laaksonen – FIN, 25
7. Mermaid Sailing Team / New Sweden Match Racing Team, Claire Leroy – FRA, 22
8. Team Kattnakken, Trine Palludan / Lea Richter Vogelius – DEN, 22
9. Dutch Match Racing Team, Renée Groeneveld – NED, 18
10. Team Bergqvist Match Racing, Johanna Bergqvist – SWE, 12
11. APCC Women Sailing Team, Margot Riou – FRA, 12
12. Vela Racing, Nicole Breault – USA, 10
13. No Name Sailing Team, Chloé Le Bars – FRA, 10
14. Swiss Women Match Racing Team, Alexa Bezel – SUI, 6

Background:
The Women’s International Match Racing Association (WIMRA) was formed in 1996 and is an international association of women sailors whose mission is to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level.

WIMRA created the first and only professional sailing series for women in 2013 – the Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series). The WIM Series delivers a global circuit of competition to test the world’s best sailors in a format of round robin and knock-out matches.

2019 WIM Series Schedule:
June 6-9 – Normandie Match Cup 2019 – Le Havre, France
August 6-10 – Women’s Match Racing World Championship (Lysekil Women’s Match) – Lysekil, Sweden
October 11-16 – China International Women’s Match Race – Shanghai, China

Source: WIM Series