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Perfect Finn sailing conditions enabled the sailors to
really strut their stuff downwind. Florent and Jonas
Hoegh-Christensen (DEN) gained slightly on Ainslie on
the downwind, while Railey moved up one to sixth,
keeping his main opposition Daniel Birgmark (SWE)
behind him.
BeijingDIARY
Most of the fleet favoured the left hand side of the
track on the final leg with Ainslie extending slightly to
lead round the final windward mark of the regatta.
ROBERT DEAVES watches events unfold in the Finn class at Qingdao for Sailing News
There were very few changes on the final leg. Railey
was still holding into silver while Florent was comfort-
ably in the bronze. The only real drama was Florent
the start of the race. After a little while, I just went on on the organisers and the sailors with very light, shifty
dropping to fourth and Birgmark moving up to seventh
and tried to sail my own race. I made some big gains winds with heat and humidity beyond endurance. But
right at the finish. In terms of points this meant that
during the second half of the first leg. The last down- we are getting it done though.”
Florent took the bronze medal off Birgmark on the
wind was a little scary. I kept telling myself, 'don't cap- Did he feel prepared enough to face all the different
result on the medal race, both finishing on 58 points.
size, don‘t capsize'. All in all, this is my best last race situations? “This has not been easy. Probably the
While Ainslie took the gold medal in the best possi-
in all of the four Olympics that I've participated in." biggest issue is the language thing. I worked with this
ble way with a race win, a sixth place for Railey was
"This feeling is truly amazing, and it‘s a massive team last year at the 2007 test event, though the 2006
enough for him to retain the silver medal position with
relief. I could open the Champagne right now and team was different. They understand the
ease. Ainslie was in fact using the same hull that won
rightfully so." hows of what we are trying to do but they really don't
him gold in Athens four years ago, while Florent was
Zach Railey's silver medal is the first Finn medal for have a feel for the whys. That makes it extremely diffi-
using his six year old boat and mast.
the United States for 16 years, following in the wake of cult at times when things get a bit complicated, believe
a long line of silver medals - Peter Barrett (USA) in me! The team is a wonderful bunch of people and
I
F anyone needs a masterclass in how to demoralise
1964, John Bertrand (USA) in 1984 and Brian really eager to do things correctly...it would just be a
the opposition, then Ben Ainslie is the perfect tutor,
Ledbetter (USA) in 1992. lot easier for me if I understood what they were say-
having won the gold medal by an incredible 22
Railey said later, “I was late at the start. Ben was ing! The other IROs that I've been working with have
points. In four out of the nine races sailed, he turned a
trying to force me to the back of the fleet, which cost also been doing a wonderful job.”
middle or low top ten result into a race winning posi-
me about 30 seconds. Other than that, I sailed very “We usually get to the race area about one and a
tion on the downwind legs. In the first race he was
well today." half hours before the scheduled start time to get set-
unlucky, dropping from first to tenth in the closing
On winning the Silver, he said, "It's a big relief. I am tled in and start looking at the conditions. All we are
stages, but his scoreline of four race wins, two sec-
proud of myself. I had a little chat with Ben. I told him concerned with is getting things right to make the rac-
onds, a fourth and a 10th is a graphic indication of
that I know that he wants to secure his Gold medal, ing as fair as possible for the sailors. I'd say the real
why he was the favourite to take the gold medal again.
and I just wanted to secure my Silver." objective is that...fairness (and then MORE fairness).”
What is perhaps more remarkable about this regatta
Railey looked ahead to the next four years, “I will Was it hard to cancel the race on Saturday and what
than Ben Ainslie winning his third consecutive gold
continue my training step by step, and goal by goal. I reactions did he get from the sailors? “Not at all. We'd
medal is the number of pre-regatta favourites who did-
will definitely go for the Gold. It's just one more place attempted two prior starts and blown them off with
n't figure at all in the racing. Some of them didn't even
to go. It has always been my dream to stand on the about 10 seconds to go each time. It just wasn't going
make the medal race including the silver medalist here
Olympic podium. The fact that it‘s Silver and not Gold to work. The third attempt at racing was in about 7
last year Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) who never really
is not important to me." knots and it looked good for about 3/4 of the first beat.
found any form, Emilios Papathanasiou (GRE), always
Then it all started to go downhill. It was a long beat
a light wind threat and Dan Slater (NZL), silver medal-
time wise due to a strong current running with the
ist at the worlds this year. Meanwhile world number
G
UILLAUME Florent's medal is only the second
Finn medal for France, the other one being a
gold medal to Serge Maury in Kiel in 1972. His wind. Then the breeze started failing and it had died
one Høgh Christensen and the 2004 Silver medalist
plan today was to try and keep two boats between completely by the time a few of the boats had reached
and 2007 World Champion Rafa Trujillo (ESP) went
himself and Birgmark, a plan that was ultimately to the gate. After that, it was a joke with no shot at mak-
into the medal race having lost all chances of winning
prove successful. On his bronze medal he said, “I did- ing the one hour time limit, even though we had short-
a medal.
n't think this would be possible before coming here. ened the second beat. The call to abandon was a no-
Both the medalists behind Ainslie were given outside
This is my first regatta in Qingdao!” brainer.”
chances of medaling before the event, but it is still
"Everyone needs some luck sometimes, and today I The best moment of this regatta? “Just knowing that
quite a surprise to see them there at the end of what
had it. Today was my day. I made my gain at the sec- the guys in the Finns and the girls in the Ynglings
has been a very trying and testing week.
ond upwind. I didn't care about the position, I just actually appreciate what we are trying to do. Their
In winning his third consecutive Olympic gold medal,
needed to put two boats between Sweden and myself feedback so far has been great and it's really satisfy-
Ainslie is now the joint second most decorated sailor
and I did." The race officer for the Finn and Ynglings ing to know that they understand that we're all (sailors
at the Olympics – ever. He has also earned himself a
has been Peter Reggio, better known as 'Luigi'. Luigi and race committee) working together to get the best
place in British Olympic history as the most decorated
has been a favourite PRO for the Finn class for many competition possible. That's a very special feeling and
of all British Olympic sailors, an honour that has sat
years, starting with the 2001 Finn Gold Cup in I'm truly grateful for some of the things that the sailors
with Rodney Pattisson's two golds and a silver in
Marblehead, USA. Everyone loves him, especially as and coaches have said to me...that is special.”
1968, 1972 and 1976 for over 30 years.
he interacts a lot with the sailors and coaches. Then Having faced some good challenges between the
What is daunting about this piece of trivia is that
the International Finn Association (IFA) asked him to AC and the sailing in Qingdao, what's next for Luigi?
Ainslie is currently at the peak of his career. Aged just
be the PRO for the 2004 Finn Europeans in La “I'm leaving here early to run an M30 event in Newport
31, he has many more Olympiads to go and has indi-
Rochelle as it was an Olympic qualifier. When ISAF Rhode Isaland and then I'm off to Travemunde,
cated every intention of being at Weymouth in four
asked the classes their wish list for the test events and Germany next Sunday night for the Farr40 Europeans.
years time.
the Olympic Games the class asked for him and he I've got a couple of Coutts 44 events later in the fall
His medal here is also the third consecutive Finn
accepted. Luigi is a professional race officer, and the and the M30 Worlds in October. There are about 6
gold medal for Great Britain, a country, that until Iain
Finn class feels very lucky to have him. other events in September-December but I'm to beat
Percy's gold medal in 2000 broke the 48 year gap
He said yesterday, “The conditions at the beginning right now to remember what they are. Next year is my
from Charles Currey's silver in 1952, had struggled to
of the Olympics for races 1-6 for the Finns were far usual mess of travel to various events (too many). I
produce any sort of form at the Olympic Games in this
better than expected. Over the past three or four days love what I do, but I've grown to hate airports.”
class.
they have reverted back to what we experienced in the And of the Finn sailors, “They have been great. We
Ainslie said, “Today we had a nice little rain with
2006 and 2007 test events. It's not easy to run races have a lot of chatter and laughs before racing and
wind up to 20 knots. It's a lot like sailing at home in
correctly in light air with a strong tide. The 'normal' between races. I love working with these guys. They
Britain. I tried to keep my eye on the American during
inversion has reappeared making things really tough are the best!”
Joy and pain for Skandia
BRYONY Shaw has won Great Britain’s first ever second time of asking following a general recall, reach- Speaking immediately after t
women’s windsurfing medal clinching RS:X bronze at ing the top mark in second and nudging into first place Shaw said: “I’m just so, so happy
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Qingdao on at the bottom mark. race and has been such a tough
Wednesday (20 August). But after World Champion Sensini had taken over at happy, it’s the best thing in the w
Shaw, who won the 2007 Olympic Test Event, knew the front of the fleet heading down to the slalom finish, “I just went out to sail as fas
a top three finish in the double points medal race would Shaw dug in and stayed comfortably ahead of nearest done to the Chinese and Italian
guarantee her a medal at her first ever Olympic Games, challengers Jessica Crisp (AUS) and Marina Alabau really tough racing right until the
going into the race in bronze medal position eight (ESP) to finish the race second and take the bronze. “I love my mum and dad so m
points behind leader Jian Yin (CHN) and five behind Yin finished the race in third place to claim gold so supportive and my boyfriend
Alessandra Sensini (ITA) in second. The Brit showed with 39 points, Sensini taking silver with 40 and Shaw Dom [Tidey] is a legend!” Sha
BRONZE: Bryony Shaw celebrates her intent from the off, flying off the start line at the winning bronze with 45. sailing medal of the 2008 Beijing
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