SAILING NEWS
Beijing briefing
mpic golden glory for Skandia Team GBR
ble delight
Silver service
from the kings
of comeback
NICK Rogers and Joe Glanfield won ing higher in the medal race. Rogers
their second successive 470 men’s sil- said: “We are over the moon. We had
ver medal at the Beijing 2008 a really hard start and to come
Olympic Regatta. through is so pleasing.
Rogers and Glanfield, who started “That was the most intense race
the day in fourth place overall five I’ve ever been involved in, I’m so
points behind the Dutch team of Sven pleased. That was real pressure – that
and Kalle Coster in second and three was stressful.
behind Nicholas Charbonnier and “It is probably more sweet than
Olivier Bausset (FRA) in third, fin- Athens because we were in with a
ished ahead of both the Dutch and chance of gold going into that race.
France in the double points medal Here we had to claw back a medal,
race to match the silver they won at this has been a pretty hard Olympics.”
Athens 2004. Glanfield added: “At one point we
The Brits’ quest to claw back the had really thought we’d lost it, three
points they needed to land silver on races ago it looked like we had no
Monday 18 August didn’t look prom- chance of a medal but the last three
ising at the first mark, rounding in races have been so good and we’re
ninth with the French in second. delighted.
But Rogers and Glanfield, British “We made a mistake at the begin-
sailing’s undisputed kings of the ning of the race and every boat who
comeback, held their nerve and was in with a chance of a medal want-
steadily ground down the rest of the ed to cover us.
fleet to take a dramatic medal race “But we pulled up, got into synch
third, with the French trailing in sixth in the second bit of the race, and got
and the Dutch seventh, meaning the where we needed to be.”
Brits leapfrogged their rivals to clinch In the women's 470 medal race,
a thrilling silver medal. Christina Bassadone and Saskia
Australians Nathan Wilmot and Clark, who had started the day in
Malcolm Page had already been ninth overall, finished their first
crowned Olympic champions with a Olympic Games together in sixth,
day to spare while France took bronze courtesy of a medal race fourth place.
despite tying on 78 points overall Australians Elise Rechichi and Tessa
with the Dutch on account of finish- Parkinson took gold.
lympics in the Yngling class PICTURE: Richard Langdon /RYA
brilliantly today. They were confident and clini- Rod Carr, RYA Chief Executive added his congratula-
y move and every decision. All their hard work tions: “For me, Ben’s gold medal proves that he is the great-
ome to the fore this week.” est dinghy sailor in the world at the moment. His record is
also full of praise for Ainslie’s dominant dis- only bettered by Paul Elvstrom.
owing yesterday’s abandoned race, Ben did well “In many ways Paul and Ben are similar characters;
to sail Zach Railey into a position well down the slightly shy and retiring onshore but supremely determined
once he’d done that found another gear to sail and talented in a boat. His attitude and talent are an inspira-
fleet to gain a 200 metre lead. tion to thousands of young Brits who aspire to follow in his
had an answer for Ben Ainslie on the Finn track
IN THE MEDALS: Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield PICTURE: OnEdition
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