RS:X Worlds: Mens Results After 4 Races
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Tag Archives: ISAF Sailing World Championships
RS:X Mens Groups – Day10/2- World Windsurfing Championships
RS:X Worlds: Nimrod and Piotr Storm To The Front
The day dawned overcast here in Fremantle at the ISAF Sailing World Championships with the wind blowing offshore and building from a quiet start to top out at 15-17knots in the second race of the day in the RS:X Men’s Windsurfing World Championships.
The 2010 RS:X World Champ, Piotr Myszka [POL] came storming off the start line to win race one but had a contratemps with a large fish in race 2 which resulted in him taking an involuntary trip ‘over-the-handlebars’… He recovered to take 2nd place and share the top step of the podium with Nimrod Mashiah [ISR] who mirrored the exact same scoreline.
The ‘Dutch Flyer’, Dorian van Rijsselberghe holds 3rd overall tonight having put in a one and a three and lay the base for his title challenge.
Back on top form after a trying recovery, Tom Ashley [NZL] instantly demonstrated that he has lost none of his flare, coming straight out and taking second in race one. He followed that with a 7th and sits just one point in front of his countryman JP Tobin as I write… BUT and there is a big but in this case, JP lodged a protest within the time limit against Tom over an alleged incident at the bottom gate so, they will both be in the ‘room’ later.
It just goes to show the importance of this event in the great scheme of things. It may be the RS:X World Windsurfing Championships. It may also be account for 75% of the qualification places wanting to race at the 2012 Olympic Regatta but that’s not all. The third and possibly most important issue is that athletes from the same team are competing against each other for that coveted individual selection place on their national Olympic team.
Tom and JP have locked horns already. Expect more fireworks in the Polish team where Piotr Myszka is up against triple Olympian, Przemyslaw Miarczynski and in the Israeli team where Nimrod Mashiah is duelling with Shahar Zubari.
The latter had a less than explosive start to his challenge
Beside these super racers, something very interesting is happening. New names are appearing in the top 10. Elliot Carney [GBR] long thought of as Nick Dempsey’s second string, popped in a 3rd an 8th to take 9th overall. Zac Plavsic [CAN] who has been training with Dorian and JP, smacked in a 4th and a 9th to claim 11th place. Robert Willis, The American Team Rep in the Pan Am Games, put in 2 top ten finishes in a class field. David Hayes [CAN] should not be forgotten either. With a 9th and a 12th on his scorecard tonight, he can be there when the scores are being counted to decide who competes in the medal race
There will be cynics out there who will say that this was just the first day. That this will be a long regatta. That the hot shots who were firing on three cylinders today will come back into it. And they may be right. But that’s not my point.
My point is that North American Windsurfing is showing signs of recovery after along time in the wilderness since the ‘Gebhardt Years’. That despite all the obstacles that they have to face a determined new crew is elbowing its way to the front of the fleet mainly under their own steam. “Good on them” I say “And more power to their elbow”
It’s inspiring to see such passion and determination start to bear fruit. They have worked hard and they deserve their places in the sun even if that sun passes behind a cloud in the next few days.
Today, they have shown they have the potential to mix it with the ‘best-of-them’. In fact, some of the ‘best-of-them’ would pay dearly to acquire the scorelines the new kids on the block have posted to day for they languish far below on the leader board. They may even be going to bed tonight fearful that their championships are already ‘cooked’
Go Canuks ! Go Yanks! Kick Butt!
RS:X Worlds: Men’s Results – Day One
RS:X Worlds: Men’s Groups Day One
RS:X Worlds: Lee Korzits Hangs On To Win Gold
In a dramatic medal race for the RS:X Women here at the ISAF Sailing World Championships, Lee Korzits [ISR] hung on to her gold medal positions by just 2 points after a strong challenge form Zofia Noceti Klepacka [POL]
As predicted yesterday Zofia proved too hot for Marina Alabau [ESP] to handle. She burst off the start line just behind Maayan Davidovich [ISR] who was first to the breakwater underneath the grandstands.
Her Polish supporters ashore were having heart palpitations as Zofia hung on until the last nano second to make her tack away from the windless zone close to the boulders.
She came out strong to cross the other 8 racers on port in the building breeze of 9-11 knots. At the top mark, It was Maayan round first. Zofia second, then the chasing pack lead by Marina followed with Lee deep.
On the first downwind, Huang Yue [CHN] muscled herself into contention snatching 3rd place from Marina before the bottom gate. Zofia was now in world championship winning position.
She didn’t put a foot wrong on the extended second upwind.
Attention switched to Lee who was making a last gasp attack to clutch a couple of valuable places back. She knew that if there were only four boards between her and Zofia, her 2011 RS:X World Title was safe.
Coming into the bottom gate for the last time. Maayan had built a substantial lead. Zofia was on the left close the spectators on the breakwater. Oh, NO….
WEEEEED… she had to spin the board round to free her fin. As she came out to the middle of the course, would she still be in front of Huang? She had to be to retain silver. It was tight. Her lead had been whittled away. It was less than 5 meters
Zofia redoubled her effort. She had started this RS:X championships slowly having lost a dear friend. Now she focused on delivering on her promise to race for him. The gold had been snatched from her grasp but she had to make sure of silver.
Taking the left hand gate mark, she gybed with meters to spare. We held our breath. Huang was fighting back. Zofia glanced over her shoulder saw the danger and woomph she pressed her advantage home. Second place in the medal race was hers AND the silver medal
The top two at the 2011 RS:X European Windsurfing Championships just a few short months ago had swapped places. Lee Korzits [ISR] is the World Champion. Zofia Noceti Klepacka [POL] is the vice World Champion and RS:X European Champion.
RS:X Worlds: Women’s Final Results
Worlds: Women’s Results After Race 10
RS:X Worlds: Zofia is on Fire… Medal Race Tomorrow
Race 10 in the RS:X Women’s World Windsurfing Championships is done and dusted here at the ISAF Sailing Worlds. There just remains the small matter of who is going to pick up which medal tomorrow afternoon after the medal race.
The scores look like this
Lee Korzits [ISR] 21.0
Marina Alabau [ESP] 27.0
Zofia Noceti-Klepacka [POL] 29.0
4th place Huang Yue [CHN] is 25 points back. Lee just has to sail a conservative race strategy, stay out of trouble and the gold medal is hers. No doubt Zofia will prove a handful for Marina to deal with tomorrow. She was on fire today .
Two bullets put her in easy striking distance of silver. She has to put two boards into the gap in front of best buddy Marina to take a step up. Tomorrow will prove an exciting day on centre course. Let’s hope the Shrimp fishing boat chartered to remove the big mats of seaweed are especially vigilant on their morning duty.
Back to today and a quick glance at the scoreboard will tell you that Charline Picon [FRA] and Bryony Shaw [GBR] both had bad days in the office. Charline could only post a 24th and a 13th whilst Bryony fared little better with an 18 followed by an 11.
Somehow Bryony managed to convert a storming start into a near disaster. Charline on the other hand never really shone through as brightly as we all know she can. It’s time for them both to re-group.
This morning there were 5 points covering places 9 to 14. In the mix was Alessandra Sensini’s [ITA] place in the medal race. She started the day on 10th and had to put it all together to stay there. Race 9 did not do it for her. 11th meant she was beaten by three of her rivals and the coveted 10th place slot was in serious jeopardy
7th in race 10 was too little too late. For the first time in an eon of time, Alessandra will not go out to race tomorrow. I’ll repeat that just in case you haven’t fully recovered from the shock…
Alessandra will play no part in the medal race.
It was Maayan Davidovich [ISR] who crashed the party with Olga Maslivets [UKR]. They both put in a solid performance on the Leighton course area scoring a 5th and a 6th and 3rd and 4th resepectively to elbow their way up to 8th and 7th place respectively in front of Li Ling [CHN] and Laura Linares [ITA]
That’s the set up for the big day. It’ll go down to the wire…
Postsrcipt: JP Tobin [NZL] is in hospital tonight having stood on a Cobbler. That’s a little fish who likes to hang out in the weed on the shoreline. He has a nasty spiney back ready to drive into the sole of your foot. Very painful and unpleasant. Wish him a quick recovery, please. I know he has trained hard for this event. It would be very rough justice indeed if he failed to make the start line on Monday.
RS:X World Windsurfing Championships 2011 