News
Super Star pair
boost gold haul
I
AIN Percy and Andrew Simpson won
Star class gold on a thrilling final day of
the Beijing 2008 Olympic Regatta on
Wednesday August 21, leaving Britain’s
sailors with their best Olympic medal haul
for 100 years.
Sydney 2000 Finn gold medallist Percy
and Simpson, making his Olympic debut,
went into the race two points behind Swedes
Freddie Loof and Anders Ekstrom but with
one eye also on Brazilians Robert Scheidt
and Bruno Prada behind them in third.
In a nail-biting encounter, Percy and
Simpson executed a tactically perfect race,
the Swedes being forced to gybe on the first
downwind run and the Brits edging their
noses ahead, a position they refused to relin-
quish for the rest of the race.
At times, Scheidt and Prada, who had
taken the race to the rest of the fleet and built
a big lead on the first lap, appeared to threat-
en the gold, meaning Percy and Simpson not
only had to stay ahead of the Swedes but also
finish in the top six.
But as the Brazilians fell down the fleet, it
became a straight head-to-head between
Great Britain and Sweden and in a scintillat-
ing sprint to the finish line, Percy and
Simpson surfed over the line in fifth place,
with the Swedes 11 seconds behind in 10th
for the gold to go to the Brits with a final STAR MEN: Out-of-this-world Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson PICTURES: Richard Langdon/RYA
tally 45 points overall.
Speaking immediately after the race, trio Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa part in that.” Park had particular praise for and Kevin Stittle. “It gives us some positives
Percy, who also beat Loof to gold in Sydney, Wilson winning gold on Sunday, Paul Star crew Andrew Simpson: “He’s a brilliant out of it and just shows really what we can
said: “It was unbelievable, so special. We felt Goodison taking the top Laser prize on sailor, I’m really over the moon for him par- do, and what our abilities are,” said
good this morning, I knew we weren’t going Tuesday, Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield ticularly as he has spent the best part of his McMillan.
to bottle it and we didn’t. It’s been a killer clinching 470 men’s silver on Monday and life as the understudy and playing second fid- “We’ve had a real tough week and just a
four years and I am so glad it’s behind me.” windsurfer Bryony Shaw claiming bronze on dle to Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, two of the few key races went against us and that was
Simpson added: “I’m shocked and over the Tuesday. This surpasses the Brits’ medal total best sailors of their generation. the difference between being in the medals
moon. This week and this year have been so at the past two Games in Athens and Sydney “But finally, he’s come out and he’s man- and not at the end.
hard and there are no words to describe how where Britain won five medals apiece while aged to add a little bit something to Iain “It’s nice to actually come out and win
happy we are. For the last year, everything the sailors’ feat in Qingdao mirrors the Percy’s game and it’s fantastic that he’s man- the medal race, which is the main race,
has been focussed on this week, we’ve achievements of the British sailing team at aged to come away with a gold medal.” and also to show what the Tornados and
worked so hard and it is just amazing. We’ve the 1908 London Games. Meanwhile, Leigh McMillan and Will catamarans are capable of doing in putting
pulled it back from the brink and it’s all come It also means for the third successive Howden finished the Olympic Regatta in on a good show because they are
good for us.” Olympics, Britain finishes the regatta as the sixth overall after romping to medal race vic- incredible boats. Hopefully there’s the
Loof and Ekstrom had to settle for bronze world’s top performing sailing nation. tory. opportunity to get the multihull back in the
despite finishing on the same overall points – RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park was The pair went into the final medals’ show- Olympics for 2012 so we’ve got something
53 - as Scheidt and Prada, the Brazilians a happy man. “It’s absolutely fantastic, I’m down in ninth position knowing that a medal to go for.”
snatching silver on account of them finishing over the moon with the medals and the gold was out of their reach. Spaniards Echavarri and Paz Blanco won
higher up the fleet in the medal race than the for the Stars is the icing on the cake. But they ended their 2008 Olympics on a the title with 44 points, Darren Bundock and
Swedes. “It’s a huge relief that we’ve actually man- high, taking the Spanish boat of Fernando Glenn Ashby (AUS) finished with silver on
Percy and Simpson’s wass Britain’s sixth aged to deliver against our target. I’m really Echavarri and Anton Paz Blanco before the 49 and Santiago Lange and Carlos Espinola
sailing medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympic pleased that Great Britain is having a fantas- second mark and winning the race, 14 second (ARG) in third on 56. McMillan and Howden
Games with Ben Ainslie (Finn) and Yngling tic Olympic Games and we’re playing our aheads of the Canada duo Oskar Johansson finished on 68 points.
a Team GB’s Olympic windsurfers
the race an overcome Ben Ainslie (Finn) and Yngling trio Sarah Ayton, Sarah ware, having grasped a dramatic last gasp bronze at “With the race being as short as it was, it was
y, it was such a tough Webb and Pippa Wilson winning gold on Sunday, Paul Athens 2004. always going to be a race to the windward mark and
week and I’m just so Goodison taking the top Laser prize yesterday But with Dempsey rounding the first mark in sev- then pretty much a procession for the rest of the race,”
world. (Tuesday) and Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield clinch- enth and the course shortened to a one lap sprint, he Dempsey explained. “I tried to get past but didn’t
st as I could and well ing 470 men’s silver on Monday. had little time to claw himself further up the fleet and quite get the shift right and got punished.
girls, that was really, However, there was bitter disappointment for Nick with Zubari taking race second, the Israeli snatched the “It’s not the end of the world – I’ve got lots of
e end. Dempsey who started the day in silver medal position bronze from Dempsey's clutches. other great stuff going on,” he continued, referring to
much, they have been but agonisingly slipped to fourth overall in the men's New Zealand's Tom Ashley won gold with 52 points his impending wedding to gold medal-winning
Greg. And my coach event. With Israeli Shahar Zubari trailing Dempsey by overall, overnight leader Julien Bontemps (FRA) tak- Yngling helm Sarah Ayton, “and there’s always four
aw’s is Britain’s fifth eight points going into the medal race, the Brit had to ing silver with 52 and Zubari bronze with 58. Dempsey years’ on my home waters in Weymouth so there’s a
Olympic Games with finish in the top four to guarantee more Olympic silver- finished the regatta with 60 points. great incentive there.”
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