After a slow start with not much wind in sweltering Marseille, the Olympic Sailing Regatta finally feels like it’s building some momentum. In fact the Skiff events are almost done, with just three more fleet races for the 20-boat fleet before the first medals are awarded after Thursday’s Skiff medal races.
The Dutch started as favourites in both the men’s and women’s fleets, both teams having won three out of the four most recent 49er and 49erFX World Championships. Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz have not appeared to be sailing at their usual flawless best, yet somehow the Dutch team goes into today with a decent points lead over the French who have been sailing well above expectations.
Van Aanholt recently got engaged to her male counterpart in the Men’s 49er Bart Lambriex. The expectation before the regatta that Lambriex and van Aanholt could become the Golden Couple of The Games for their fans in The Netherlands. It’s looking less likely now, unfortunately. Along with crewman Floris van de Werken, the Dutch men have been the team to beat over the past few years, rarely putting a foot wrong. Their preparation appeared to be spot on, yet they just have not been able to make sense of the chaotic conditions on the Bay of Marseille. At times it has looked like a lottery, yet over the nine races played out so far, there should have been time for the good and bad luck to even out.
Van de Werken was struggling to hold back the tears in front of the TV cameras on Tuesday afternoon, but he and helmsman Lambriex will need to get their game faces on in time for three races on Wednesday afternoon. The forecast is for strong breeze and they could yet turn things around. Meanwhile at the front are Spain’s Diego Botin and Florian Trittel. Some might say the Spaniards were fortunate to win the one-race shoot-out in San Francisco to win the big prize money at the end of Season 4 of SailGP just a few weeks ago, but there has been nothing lucky about the way they have sailed so far this week in Marseille. Really smart, patient sailing by the Spaniards.
Also having a great day from the tricky Tuesday conditions were Great Britain’s James Peters and Fynn Sterritt who go into the final day’s fleet racing in fourth place and well positioned numerically and psychologically to attack the teams in front of them.
Britain’s Emma Wilson is running away with the iQFOiL women’s windsurfing competition although today is a different challenge with the 60-minute Marathon Race around the Bay of Marseille. Dutchman Luc van Opzeeland is currently leading the Men’s Windsurfing.
The post Olympic Sailing News 2024: Skiff Racing appeared first on Sailing Today.
