Issue date
The NZL Sailing Team’s busy month at six Olympic class world championships have come to a close overnight as Sara Winther placed 34th in the Laser Radial.
Left: Sara Winther, at the Laser Radial World Championships was the lucky last left racing after the 470 Worlds ended one day ago, and the Finn Worlds the day prior. Photo © Nils Bergmann
Sara had mixed results in what was a predominantly windy and shifty weather regatta where consistency was key. Over the 12 races, she had several races inside the top ten including two 2nd and a 3rd, but was unable to recover from two black flag penalties on the first day of final series which dropped her from 13th overall back into the 30’s.
The fleet was shuffled overnight in the last two races where light winds and close racing brought ten yellow flag penalties for boats that were illegally rocking to gain advantage, including several lead boats. The Laser Radial World Championship was won by for the first time by Lithuanian Gintare Sheidt who took the title away from 2008 Bronze Medallist Lijia Xu of China.
Still, NZL's Sara Winther finished inside the top 25% of this regatta with over 130 boats racing, and will now look forward to a short break before heading to England for the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta at the Olympic sailing venue of Weymouth.
Laser Radial World Championship Final Standings
133 boats, 12 races
34th - Sara Winther
Full results and more information can be seen on the Laser Radial World Championship official website.
The RS:X World Championships were sailed in March, and JP Tobin came away with a Bronze medal, setting the bar high for the team to follow. Andy Maloney grabbed up a bronze medal at the Laser World Championships which finished on May 10th. One day later, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke finished the 49er World Championships with a silver medal.
Also inside the top ten and within striking distance of medals at their world championships were women’s 470 team Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie who finished fourth overall, and the Star crew of Hamish Pepper and Jim Turner who finished seventh. The Women’s Match Racing crew of Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen and Susannah Pyatt will not be racing their World Championship which starts 25 June 2012.
The London 2012 New Zealand Olympic Sailing Team includes: Men’s 470 (Paul Snow Hansen and Jason Saunders), Women’s 470 (Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie), Laser Radial (Sara Winther), Laser Standard (Andrew Murdoch), Women’s Match Racing (Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen, Susannah Pyatt), Mens RS:X (JP Tobin) and Men’s 49er (Peter Burling and Blair Tuke). New Zealand has qualified a nations spot in the remaining three classes (Finn, Star and Women’s RS:X) but a final selection decision has not yet been confirmed.
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For more information contact:
Kristine Lederis
Yachting New Zealand
+64 21 871 301
Kristine@yachtingnz.org.nz
