China Retain Overall Lead After 8 Races

After races 6-8 yesterday at the championship, Wei NI of China retains the overall lead but the first discard and mixed results by the top sailors on a day of rather lighter winds have closed up the points difference.

World champion Filip MATIKA, at 53kg one of the heavier sailors, slipped slightly but remains firmly in contention for the title.

Today sees attention turned to the IODA World Team Racing Championship, contested by the top 16 teams seeded on the individual results. This championship is conducted by a system of direct elimination by repechage, common in other sports. The table looks complicated but is based on the simple idea that after two defeats a team is eliminated.

Top seeds are Croatia, last years bronze medallists, while the excellent results of New Zealand seed them second. World champions Argentina are seeded a lowly 14 and face a difficult first round match against Poland. 2003 silver medallists Peru will likewise not find things easy against Italy.

For teams not qualified for the team racing there is an innovative “coastal race” to a nearby yacht club, the closest the Optimists get to an offshore race! British sailors, deprived of a place in the team racing by the rule that reserves a slot for the host nation, are determined to win this subsidiary event.

Wednesday is a rest day and individual racing restarts on Thursday with a further seven races scheduled. Full results are available on the event website at the address below.

Overall Top Ten (After 8 Races)