Day 6: Final two races to determine world champions

The leading sailors Giovanni Coccoluto (ITA) and Erika Reineke (USA) have a lot of pressure on this morning as they head out to the race course for the final two races of the series.

Coccoluto from Trieste is currently leading the Boys’ championship by 17pts from Mitchell Kiss (USA) and the fast Polish sailor – Tadeusz Kubiak – is worth keeping an eye on too. Kubiak was leading the series until yesterday when he had a couple of poor results but he says he’ll be back on form today.

The Italian team coach – Larissa Mevierov – commenting just before the sailors went out this morning, said: “I have to say, they are incredible sailors and very focussed. They are obsessed with improving their performance all the time, which means they train hard by themselves in Trieste. Because I have raced two Olympic Games I know exactly how much pressure the team will be under today, so my advice to them this morning, is to relax and concentrate. Giovanni [Coccoluto], and Luca [Antognoli] race and train a lot together but Luca hasn’t been quite so consistent with the results because he has less experience.”

Elliot Hanson (GBR) is also in contention despite his OSC yesterday. He is currently lying in 4th overall. As he left the shore this morning he confessed he was a bit nervous about today’s racing but felt confident that he could up the tempo today. “The aim,” he says, “is to finish the regatta with a top five result. That I would be happy with.”

Reineke, on the Girls’ course, has an extremely healthy 27pt lead at this stage of the regatta but the competition is intense so there’s certainly no place for complacency. Manami Doi (JPN) is a very fast sailor and although she had a bad day yesterday, she is always in contention. Michelle Broekhuizen (NED), and Tiril Bue (NOR) will also be fighting for a top five result.

The racing is scheduled to start at 1100 this morning, and so far all is going to plan. The wind is currently 12kts from the west at the top end of Cumbrae and the 320 young sailors are now heading out for the first of two final races.

 

  Current standings going into the last two races of the finals:

 
Boys

1 Giovanni Coccoluto (ITA) 35pts

2 Mitchell Kiss (USA) 52pts

3 Tadeusz Kubiak (POL) 60pts

4 Elliot Hanson (GBR) 66pts

5 Stefano Mazzaferro (BRA) 70pts

6 Luca Antognoli (ITA) 80pts

 
 
Girls

1 Erika Reineke (USA) 12pts

2 Manami Doi (JPN) 39pts

3 Michelle Broekhuizen (NED) 43pts

4 Tiril Bue (NOR) 44pts

5 Patricia Coro Leveque (ESP) 62pts

6 Julia Vallo Arjonilla (ESP) 66pts

 

For full results click on Results tab at top of page

 

 

 

25/7/2010 10:13