Dutch are dealing at Allianz Regatta

Medemblik, Netherlands (June 11, 2021) – The Netherlands’ Tokyo 2020 athletes remain in firm control in the 49er and 49erFX at the Hempel World Cup Series – Allianz Regatta as the third day concluded.

Bart Lambriex and Pim van Vugt (NED) hold a four-point lead in the 49er, with their fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympians Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz (NED) 13 points clear in the 49erFX fleet.

Today’s action brought slightly more stable conditions, with a 8-10 knot west south westerly breeze prevalent across the race track.

Labriex and van Vugt put together another consistent scoreline in the 31-boat 49er fleet, posting a 7-2-5. This puts them clear of France’s Kévin Fischer and Nóe Delpech, who also sailed well with a 2-8-1 scoreline.

The biggest smile ashore after racing belonged to Marco Anessi Pé and Edoardo Gamba of Italy, who secured their first ever race win in the 49er. They sailed their best day of the event so far, with a 9-1-6 to put them into the top ten.

“The second race was our first bullet in our 49er sailing,” said Anessi Pé. “It was a big emotion for us and we’re hoping it’s not going to be our last. We started in a nice position, free from other boats and then we raced the wind and watched for any changes and took the win.

“Today has been a nice day. The breeze was better than the other days. Medemblik is a very nice race area; very tricky, and the wind changes direction, which makes it challenging.”

With a final day of fleet racing ahead of them tomorrow, the Italians will be hoping for another good performance to book their spot in the Medal Races on June 13.

As Bekkering and Duetz strengthened their grip at the top after a (19 UFD)-5-1 scoreline, Germany’s Maru Scheel and Freya Feilcke were also impressive as they claimed a race win alongside a sixth and a fourth to move up to fourth.

“We had quite a good day winning the first race,” commented the duo. “It was quite shifty and tricky but we managed to get the left side of the course quite well, so it was nice racing.

“[For our race win] we had a great start. We went to the left with good speed and made good manoeuvres.

“Because the wind is so shifty and tricky it’s hard to get the right spot on the course, so there’s a lot of changes on the water.”

Scheel and Feilcke are just three points off their compatriots Maria Bergmann and Hanna Wille in second place, and just a point off Isabelle Fellows and Alice Masterman (GBR) in third.

The format at Hempel World Cup Series – Allianz Regatta is for four days of qualification races on June 9-12 for the 49er and 49erFX fleet as sailors fight for a place in the deciding Medal Races on June 13.

Event information – Race details – Results

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.

Source: World Sailing

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Program
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFx
Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy – Finn
Men’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Women’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Original dates: July 24 to August 9, 2020
Revised dates: July 23 to August 8, 2021

Details: https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/