Quarter finals complete at Women’s Match Racing Worlds

Lysekil, Sweden (August 9, 2019) – The quarter finals are done and four teams will move on at the Lysekil Women’s Match and Women’s Match Racing World Championship.

There was a late start to the quarter finals due to no wind in the morning, but by lunch-time the wind kicked in. Four teams headed out to fight in the first flights of the quarter finals as Team Björkqvist Match Racing went head to head with Claire Leroy and her Mermaid Sailing Team, and Renée Groeneveld with Dutch Match Racing Team took on Anna Östling with her crew WINGS.

For Clair Leroy and Johanna Bergqvist the flights were tight, and the quarterfinal-series needed a fifth and final race to determine which team would go on to the semi-finals.

It was Leroy who took the first two matches, which put pressure on Team Bergqvist Match Racing, leading up to the third race. The Swedes managed to turn the scores around and tie, taking the series to a fifth race. And what a race – both teams delivered, ending with Leroy managing to cross the finish line just before Bergqvist. Disappointment for the young Swedes.

“We had the chance, but unfortunately, we could not pass her today,” says Johanna Bergqvist after missing out on the semi-finals.

Clair Leroy is pleased after reaching their goal, getting through to the semi-finals after a tough battle with Team Bergqvist.

“It was close, they were always coming back and we had a tight game,” said Leroy. “It was one of the best quarter finals I have ever sailed. They sailed well, but today we were a little bit better, but not much.”

In the second quarterfinal, Anna Östling (SWE) took the first race against Renée Groeneveld (NED), but with three straight wins the Dutch turned the quarter finals around, eliminating the Swedish team, and joining Leroy in the next round.

After a day of waiting it was finally time for the remaining four teams to hit the water. Reigning World Champion, Lucy Macgregor, who sailed through Round Robin with 10 wins and only one loss, was eager to get out.

“We had no races yesterday, so it was really good to get on the boat and back in rhythm again.”

Facing off with Nicole Breault, Macgregor showed everyone why she is the reigning two time World Champion, when they secured a spot in the semi-finals after sailing home three in a row.

“We won them by a fair way in the end, but the wind was very light and I think all of us concentrated pretty hard to make sure we secured it,” says Macgregor after making it to the final day.

A day full of though races awaits in the morning, staring of with the semi-finals deciding who will make it on becoming 2019’s World Champion.

In the Semi-finals (skipper, team, ranking, nation):
Lucy Macgregor, Team Mac, 18, (GBR) – 2018 World Champion
Pauline Courtois, Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team, 1, (FRA)
Claire Leroy, Mermaid Sailing Team, 13, (FRA)
Renée Groeneveld, Dutch Match Racing Team, 20, (NED)

WIM Series – Event details – Results – Facebook

The format began on August 6 with a round robin stage 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)

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