April 25, 2024
3 minutes reading time
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition will see 350 athletes from 65 nations race across the ten Olympic disciplines. Enoshima Yacht Harbour, the host venue of the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Sailing Competition, will once again welcome sailors from 25 July to 4 August 2021.
31 July, 2021
© Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Three Ways to win a Medal - The Olympic Medal Series Explained
Winning with a race to spare. It’s every sailor’s dream to dominate a championship to the point where they actually build a big enough points advantage over their rivals to win with a race to spare.
In all the boat classes, which use the traditional single Medal Race to decide the outcome of the competition, it is quite possible to win before the race is even run.
However, the two newcomers to the Olympic line-up, the two foiling board fleets, have brought fresh ideas to bringing the competition to a dramatic conclusion. While their Finals formats are different, both the kiteboarders and the windsurfers know that if they’re going to win the gold medal, they’re going to have to win the very last race of the championship. More jeopardy, more drama.
Kite Medal Series
The Kite Medal Series is designed so that any of the top 10 riders from the Opening Series can still win the gold medal.
To win the regatta you need to get three wins in the four-rider Final. First place from the Opening Series flies straight to the final with two wins, meaning they’ll only need to win one race in the Final.
Second from the opening series goes through with one win, so they’ll need to win two more in the Final.
But what about the other two, how do they get to the final? Eight riders – positions 3rd to 10th in the Opening Series – are split into two Semi Finals.
The two winners of the Semi Finals earn their right to go into the Final, but they carry no race wins through with them. This means they’ll need to win three races to take the gold medal. Difficult, but it does happen.
We’ve seen riders fight their way through from further down the rankings and seize gold at the end of a dramatic day.
Watch the replay of Kite Medal Series at the Allianz Sailing World Championships to get a flavour.
Windsurfing Medal Series
The Windsurfing Medal Series is designed so that any of the top 10 riders from the Opening Series can still win the gold medal, and riders have indeed won the competition after starting the day in as low as 10th place. It’s just that the lower-ranked riders have to sail exceptionally throughout a series of knock-out rounds.
How does the Windsurfing Medal Series Work? This is a guide to the Olympic Windsurfing Medal Series. This race format will be used at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the iQFOiL class.
The reward for the winner of the Opening Series is they progress directly to a three-rider Final and are guaranteed a medal.
Second and third placed riders from the Opening Series progress directly to a four-rider Semi Final.
The remaining seven riders battle in a Quarter Final and the top two move forward to the Semi Final.
The top two finishers in the Semi Final then join the leader in the three-rider Final, a winner-takes-all single race which lasts just a few minutes. Whoever crosses the line first takes the gold medal, with silver to the second-placed rider and bronze for last.
Watch the replay of Kite Medal Series at the Allianz Sailing World Championships to get a flavour.
Dinghy, Skiff and Multihull Medal Races
At the end of the Opening Series the top 10 boats progress to the Medal Race. The Medal Race counts as double and is not discardable from a boat’s overall scores.
The winner is the boat with the lowest total points.