Elite field for 2019 Women’s Match Racing Worlds

Lysekil, Sweden (August 5, 2019) – Racing gets underway tomorrow at the Lysekil Women’s Match which will double as the official World Championship for women. Twelve teams will be racing the Fareast 28 through August 10 for the 2019 World Champion title.

Lysekil Women’s Match has, since the start in 2004, evolved into the leading international match racing event for women on the Women¹s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) circuit.

“With the history Lysekil has of running an event of this caliber, it really makes no difference that it is a World Championship, they have run this event for years, always in spectacular fashion,” notes Liz Baylis, WIM Series Race Manager.

Baylis anticipates how the teams must overcome the full range of weather for the 2019 title. “Looking at the forecast, we will have some days that look light, and a few with more wind, with rain also predicted.”

The July 2019 international rankings show the field includes 8 of the top 10 skippers in the world. “You really can’t count any one out, everyone has a real chance to win,” notes Baylis. “It will be interesting to see if Lucy (Macgregor) can defend her title or if we see a new champion this year.”

Team Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, with skipper Pauline Courtois, is ranked number one in the world and are back after last year’s win in Lysekil. “It is my fifth year in Lysekil and I am very happy to be back,” said Courtois. “During training the team had a chance to get comfortable with the boat again, as we have not sailed it for a little while.”

The format begins with a round robin series to advance the best eight teams to the quarter-finals, which are followed by semi-finals and the final. The final will be raced on Saturday, August 10.

Entry list (Skipper, ranking, nationality):
Pauline Courtois, 1, (FRA)
Anna Östling, 2, (SWE)
Johanna Bergqvist, 3, (SWE)
Trine Palludan, 4, (DEN)
Nicole Breault, 5, (USA)
Marinella Laaksonen, 6, (FIN)
Margot Vennin, 7, (FRA)
Alexa Bezel, 10, (SUI)
Claire Leroy, 13, (FRA)
Lucy Macgregor, 18, (GBR) – 2018 World Champion
Renée Groeneveld, 20, (NED)
Marie Björling, 22, (SWE)

WIM Series – Event details – Results – Facebook

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