2 Beijing Olympics 2008 preview SAILING NEWS
Team GB sets sail for success
Picture by: onEdition
No stone unturned
in quest for gold
Team manager Stephen Park, who’s for us. We could easily win more than
described his charges as the ‘best that, but equally we could easily win
ever’ sailing line-up for GBR at an less than that. The margins between
Olympic Games, says the team’s winning a medal and not winning a
preparations have been absolute, and medal are so small,” he continued.
they’re confident of being able to “I don’t think at all that [four med-
handle the varying, challenging con- als] is a conservative option – we
ditions which they’ve come to expect recently increased our target from
at the coastal city of Qingdao. three medals to four medals and I
Team GB’s sailors are targeting think that if we win four medals at
four medals from the 11 events to be this Games I’ll be very happy.”
contested in sailing, with Ben ainslie after outstanding displays at the
looking for a third straight gold in last two Games, with sailors contrib-
the Finn class, and Sarah ayton and uting five medals to the Team GB
Sarah Webb eying up a second con- tally in Sydney and again in athens,
secutive Olympic title in the Yngling Park is mindful that rival teams will
class, to share with third crew mem- be looking to overtake GBR’s status
ber Pippa Wilson – the youngest of as the top sailing nation: “Lots of the
the British sailors to be competing at other teams have been working very,
the Beijing Games. very hard – everyone’s looking to
“We’re confident going forward to knock us off the podium and there’s
the Games – very confident that we no doubt that we’re the team to beat
have got a fantastic team, we’ve got a at the moment, so we’re not resting on
group of sailors who have really left our laurels at all.”
no stone unturned in their quest for “It’s going to variable, it’s going to
success. be changeable, it’s certainly going to
“They are prepared, physically, be interesting – but the way that we
technically and mentally, and so that look at it is that it’s the same for ev-
gives us confidence that we should eryone. We’re focussed on the task,
hopefully have a good Games,” Park our athletes are not about to get dis-
explained. tracted and they’re looking forward
“The four medal target is realistic to some great racing.”
Picture by: onEdition
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EASTERN PROMISE: GB hopefuls windsurfer Bryony Shaw (top), Laser sailor Paul Goodison
(above) and 49er sailors Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes (right)
Rule changes at the Beijing Olympics
For each event the sailing place scores one point, second at the end of the opening series kinetics etc) are calculated based
competition will consist of an place two points). There are a progress to the Medal Race (for on a fleet size of ten. The Medal
opening series and a medal race. number of letter scores awarded the other boats the competition Race is officiated by on-the-water
W
Eleven races are scheduled for for breaking the Racing Rules Of is over and the positions from umpires, with sailors required to
each event except for the 49er Sailing (such as crossing the line 11 upwards are final). The Medal make any protests during the race.
class, for which 16 races are early etc) which usually incur a Race is sailed over a shorter For the top ten competitors,
scheduled. Of the 11 (16) races, points score of the equivalent of a course close in to the shore, with a scores from the Medal Race are
‘
e’re c
‘
onfident
going forward to
the Games – very
10 (15) are scheduled as opening last-place finish +1 point. race target time of approximately added to their score from the
series races and one as a Medal The series score of each boat 30 minutes. opening series to decide the final
confident that
Race. is the total of their race scores, Scores in the Medal Race are positions. Any ties in the overall
During the opening series, except after five races they shall doubled (i.e. you score two points score at the end of the Medal
we have got a
competitors score points discard their worst race score. for first place, four points for Race shall be broken in favour of
equivalent to the position in which The top ten boats (i.e. the ten second place etc) and any letter the boat who recorded the better
fantastic team
they finished the race (i.e. first boats with the lowest series score) scores (for crossing the line early, finish in the Medal Race. Stephen Park
GB Team Manager
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