Issue date
Today in Santander, Northern Spain marks the start of the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships with the world’s crème de la crème of Olympic sailing counting down to the start of racing over the coming week.
Starting with the single-handed Laser (men) and Radial (women) classes, racing kicks off on 12 September with the medals to be decided across all ten sailing events between 18 and 21 September.
Registration and equipment inspection is underway at this year’s pinnacle event for all international Olympic sailing campaigners, and a kiwi team of 27 sailors will represent New Zealand.
Head-lining the NZL Sailing Team are three crews who will defend their 2013 world championship crowns including; Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (Women’s 470), Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (49er) and Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech (49erFX).
Olympic and world champion Jo Aleh says; "The aim for Santander is to qualify the nation in the class and it's a world champs so of course we want to be up there and if we're not up there then we're going to be pretty annoyed. We'll take it as it comes. Hopefully we'll be competitive and there's a good bunch of girls right at the top so we'll have to see what happens."
Helm of NZL Sailing Team 49er crew, Peter Burling says, "We're quite enjoying having that New Zealand 1 on the sail at the moment and the goal is definitely to go and try and defend that title.”
Women’s skiff sailor Molly Meech, who is preparing in Santander, says; "Coming off from a win at the worlds last year we're hoping to try and win. We'll do our best there but I've heard it's a tricky venue as well so we'll see how it goes. We would love to qualify New Zealand and obviously that is the aim of the event but our personal aim is to medal."
National qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is also on offer at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships – read ISAF’s Qualification System for Rio 2016 for the details.
2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Santander, Spain
The New Zealand Team
Laser (Men’s single-handed dinghy)
Andy Maloney
Sam Meech
Thomas Saunders
Laser (Women’s single-handed dinghy)
Sara Winther
Susannah Pyatt
Ali Nightingale
Men’s RS:X Windsurfing
Jon-Paul Tobin
Women’s RS:X Windsurfing
Natalia Kosinska
Women’s 470 (double-handed dinghy)
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie
Men’s 470 (double-handed dinghy)
Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox
49er Skiff
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski
Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson
49erFX Skiff
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech
Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland
Nacra 17 (mixed multihull)
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders
Finn (men’s heavy-weight dinghy)
Andrew Murdoch
Josh Junior
Karl Purdie
Support and Coaching:
Jez Fanstone , Nathan Handley, Mark Howard, Dave Robertson, Ian Neely , John Cutler, Hamish Willcox, Will Howden, Peter Evans, Grant Beck, Louise Johnson, Rebecca van Weerd
Links
Regatta website
ISAF website
Yachting New Zealand website
NZL Sailing Team sailor profiles
NZL Sailing Team Facebook page
Media information
- NZL Media Releases: Yachting New Zealand will issue daily written media releases focussing on New Zealand’s performance as soon as possible after the day’s results are published. These reports will be published at yachtingnz.org.nz at the same time as release.
- Footage for TV: The ISAF TV team are in Santander to capture the action. Highlights and raw footage including action and interviews will be available via FTP. Requests for specific footage or interviews can be made to ISAF TV through Yachting New Zealand’s Communications Manager, Jodie Bakewell-White.
- Photography: Professional high resolution images of the NZL Sailing Team in action in Spain will be available and free for editorial use. Please contact Jodie Bakewell-White with your image requests.
For more information contact:
Jodie Bakewell-White, YNZ Communications Manager
Tel. 021 709 065
Email. jodie@yachtingnz.org.nz
About the NZL Sailing Team
The NZL Sailing Team includes New Zealand’s top Olympic campaigners who have made the top 20% in their most recent (respective) class World Championships or pinnacle event and have shown consistency of performance over the year including other significant Championships.
Yachting New Zealand’s High Performance Programme is focussed on winning medals at the Olympics in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
NZL Sailing Team sailors all started out at grass roots yacht clubs around the country and with commitment, dedication and drive have risen to be world class athletes; they work hard in the gym, train long hours on the water and are supported by great coaches.
