Playing The Cards Right In Miami With 200 Days To Rio

In 200 days 380 sailors will be set-up at the Marina da Gloria in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finalising their preparations for the greatest sporting spectacle, the Olympic Games.

On 5 August the Rio 2016 Olympic flame will be lit, signalling the start of 17 days of sport. For sailors to get to an Olympic Games they have to play their cards right, qualify their country, qualify themselves and fine tune their physique and boats so they’re fully optimised for the stresses and strains an Olympic Sailing Competition provides.

In order to do exactly that, sailors go through the Sailing World Cup series and over 780 sailors will be using the first shuffle of 2016 in Miami, USA to deal a killer blow to their rivals in the Olympic year.

Watch a promotional video to Sailing World Cup Miami here:
URL – https://youtu.be/gAmGURstKko
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London 2012 gold medallists, World Champions and Rio 2016 medal hopefuls will be among the starters aiming for glory in the ten Olympic and two Paralympic events on show in Miami from 25 to 30 January 2016.

A World Cup podium position is not the only thing at stake in Miami. As a Rio 2016 Continental Qualification regatta for North and South America, several nations will be vying for an Olympic berth. One spot in each of the fleets for both continents will be up for grabs with two available in the Men’s RS:X.

The Laser Radial fleet will be the one to watch in Miami with a special trio facing off in the 80-boat fleet. London 2012 gold medallist Lijia Xu (CHN) will be joined by silver medallist Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and bronze medallist Evi Van Acker (BEL).

Alongside Ireland’s Annalise Murphy, Xu, Bouwmeester and Van Acker had a famous four way battle for gold at London 2012 with the Chinese racer coming out on top. Xu stepped away from the Laser Radial in 2013 but after a two-year hiatus she returned to Olympic sailing at the 2015 Laser Radial World Championship.

The rivalry with Bouwmeester and Van Acker resumed instantly as she finished sixth to their second and third. With more miles and training in the bag, Xu, who stole the hearts of the sailing world in 2012 will be aiming to make an impression in Miami.

Denmark’s Anne Marie Rindom continues to excite in the Laser Radial and returns to Miami to defend the title she won 12 months ago. Rindom also comes into the American World Cup regatta off the back of a world championship victory last year and will be aiming for the medals once again.

Much like the Radial, the Laser fleet will feature many of the leading lights of sailing and is set to be a hot contest.

World #1 Tom Burton (AUS) and #2 Matt Wearn (AUS) will spearhead a fleet that includes key players on the road to Rio. Five-time Olympic medallist Robert Scheidt (BRA), 2014 world champion Nicholas Heiner (NED), Rutger van Schaardenburg (NED), Andy Maloney (NZL), Jesper Stalheim (SWE) and Charlie Buckingham (USA) will be amongst the front runners looking to capture top honours.

Miami will welcome strong windsurfers in the Men’s and Women’s RS:X fleets. London 2012 Olympic gold medallists Dorian Van Rijsselberge (NED) and Marina Alabau (ESP) will be on their respective start lines come Monday 25 January.

Joining Van Rijsselberge in the men’s pack of 59 racers will be World #1 Ivan Pastor (ESP), World #3 Mattia Camboni (ITA), London 2012 silver medallist Nick Dempsey (GBR) and bronze medallist Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL).

In the 39-boat Women’s RS:X fleet, Alabau will be up against the world’s top four sailors, Defending champion and World #1 Bryony Shaw (GBR), World #2 Lilian de Geus (NED), 2015 Youth Worlds Champion and World #3 and Italian World #4 Flavia Tartaglini.

Racing is set to commence at 10:00 local time on Monday 25 January across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic fleets. Medal Races on Saturday 30 January will bring Sailing World Cup Miami to a close with the races to be broadcast live on the World Sailing TV YouTube Channel – http://www.youtube.com/worldsailingtv

Daniel Smith

Light Breeze the Opening Test

ISAF

The four Olympic events on show on the opening day of the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta faced a light wind test across two racing areas inside Guanabara Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Laser and Laser Radial fleets, racing on the Ponte course, and the Men’s and Women’s RS:X, sailing on Escola Naval, had to contend with a 6-10 knot southerly breeze. Bathed in Rio’s winter sun the competitors were put to the test with those who had done their homework on the light conditions coming to the forefront.

Men’s RS:X

China’s Aichen Wang was fast out of the blocks posting a fifth and double bullets in the Men’s RS:X. The Chinese sailor has an early advantage over Pawel Tarnowski (POL) but with nine more fleet races and the Medal Races remaining, Wang won’t be getting carried away with his good start.

Pierre Le Coq (FRA) finished second at the 2014 test event and started well once again at the 2015 edition. An opening race win backed up by a sixth and a fifth leaves him third overall.

After racing Le Coq said, “I was a bit frustrated in the last race as I was first on the upwind but it was tricky out there with a lot of current. The Chinese sailor managed the current best today and he now leads the fleet.

“I expected to see the Chinese sailor at the front as I have been training with him for the past few weeks and he is on form. I am not surprised.

“I am still in the game and it is not a bad beginning.”

Wang tops the leaderboard on two points followed by Tarnowski on five and Le Coq on six.

Women’s RS:X

The performance of the day in the Women’s RS:X came from Poland’s Malgorzata Bialecka. Whilst she does sit third overall she was the most consistent performer, recording a third and a second and a fourth, which she discards.

Lilian De Geus (NED) also had an impressive day, notching up a 2-(6)-3 and sits in second.

Hei Man Chan (HKG) tops the billing in the Women’s RS:X on four points. However, Chan started her event off with a tenth which she discards. Whilst it’s not a bad score for Chan, she will want to ensure her performances over the coming days replicate the third and first that she ended her day on.

Laser

London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Pavlos Kontides (CYP) and five time Olympic medallist Robert Scheidt (BRA) hold the early advantage in the Laser after a consistent day on the water. The pair are locked on nine points apiece with Kontides sailing his way to a 2-7 and Scheidt, a 6-3.

Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) started the day off with a standout performance that saw him beat Kontides by 17 seconds as he explained, “It was really light conditions. In the first race I had a plan to stay on the right [side of the course] and I was heading first to the right but the guys in the middle had some more pressure so I was sixth by the up mark. Immediately in the downwind I passed two boats, then on the upwind I stuck with my plan to stay right and there was more pressure and I finished first.”

Stipanovic was unable to capitalise on his outstanding start and could only manage a 14th which leaves him fourth overall at the early stage of the competition.

The day’s other race victory went the way of Nick Thompson (GBR) who is fifth overall.

Laser Radial

Marit Bouwmeester (NED) was impressive in the Laser Radial and leads the way on eight points. She opened her day up with a second and followed it up with a sixth.

Veronika Fenclova of the Czech Republic is two points off the Dutch sailor after an 8-2 with Gintare Scheidt (LTU) third on 13 points.

Race victories were picked up by Manami Doi (JPN) who is ninth overall and the fourth placed Paige Railey (USA).

The remaining racing areas on the opening day were filled with the sailors from the other six Olympic events who were fine tuning their preparations for the start of their competition. Racing continues on Sunday 16 August at 13:00 with all ten of the Olympic events taking to the water.

An Olympic Rehearsal

The Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta will act as a dress rehearsal for the Olympic Games with the world’s leading sailors, many of whom will be on the Olympic startline, fine tuning their preparations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

From 15-22 August 339 sailors from 52 nations, racing in the ten Olympic sailing events will put themselves to the test across six race courses, three inside and three outside of Guanabara Bay.

Compared to the test events for other Olympic sports, sailing is unique. A large majority of those competing from 15-22 August will go on to Rio 2016 and in many cases the medallists at the test event will realise their dreams in a year’s time with an Olympic medal around their neck.

Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 is the second sailing test event in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Held out of Marina da Gloria from 15-22 August, the Olympic test event welcomes more than 330 sailors from 52 nations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Credit Jesus Renedo/Sailing Energy

In the build up to London 2012, 18 medallists in the test event went on to take an Olympic honour, a statistic that could well be repeated and even bettered at Rio 2016.

With a wide array of exceptional sailing talent the stakes are high. A strong result at the test event can build up confidence and leave athletes with a can do attitude.

The 470 events will be spearheaded by Olympic gold medallists Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) and Mat Belcher (AUS) sailing with Will Ryan.

Both the Kiwis and Australians took gold at the 2014 test event and are back in the mix, aiming for another good performance on the journey to retain their Olympic titles.

“It’s getting busier and busier out on the water, there are new boats and teams out every day… It’s rather exciting,” commented Aleh.

“At the moment everyone is just training, working on their boats and getting time on the water. But next week when we all start moving to the Marina da Gloria – the Olympic Harbour – things will start to ratchet up a little.”

A week on from Aleh’s comments and Marina da Gloria is a hive of activity. The sailors are in, International Race Officials are arriving and work continues on the marina to ensure it is up to scratch for the Olympic Games.

Whilst the focus is on this week, Belcher, holder of the last five 470 World titles, knows the athletes have their eyes on the ultimate prize within the sport, an Olympic medal, “For all of us, everything, every day we train, every minute and hour, weeks, months, years, it’s all about the Games.

“The regattas we do give us the opportunity to test things where we need to test, to benchmark ourselves, so that throughout the cycle we know where we are at and what we need to work on. And hopefully it will all come together when we need it – at the Olympics,” said Belcher.

Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 is the second sailing test event in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Held out of Marina da Gloria from 15-22 August, the Olympic test event welcomes more than 330 sailors from 52 nations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Men’s and Women’s 470 fleets feature 22 and 19 teams respectively. London 2012 silver medallist Luke Patience (GBR), sailing with Elliot Willis will be amongst the frontrunners in the men’s fleet alongside the links of Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO), Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (USA) and Olympic bronze medallists Lucas Calabrese and Juan de la Fuente (ARG).

2014 World, European and World Cup champions Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar (AUT), London 2012 silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) and Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) will be in the mix in the women’s fleet.

Six race courses will be tested throughout the week, three outside of Guanabara Bay and three inside. Courses outside include Pai, Copacabana and Niteroi whilst the inside courses are Pão de Açúcar, Ponte and Escola Naval. All will be tested throughout the week by the ten Olympic sailing events. Click here to view the racing areas.

The Laser fleet is the largest in Rio with 39 sailors registered to sail. The list is packed full of exceptional sailors that have the capabilities of hitting the right note on any given day. Leading the charge will be Robert Scheidt (BRA), Tom Burton (AUS), Tonci Stipanovic (CRO), Nick Thompson (GBR), Pavlos Kontides (CYP), Andy Maloney (NZL) and Charlie Buckingham (USA).

Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 is the second sailing test event in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Held out of Marina da Gloria from 15-22 August, the Olympic test event welcomes more than 330 sailors from 52 nations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the Laser Radial, Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) will be aiming for top spot again after her success 12 months ago whilst Olympic silver and bronze medallists Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and Evi Van Acker (BEL) will also pose a threat.

In the Nacra 17, Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) will be the pair to beat. The vibrant French duo has won two Nacra 17 world titles together, a string of ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas as well as Aquece Rio 2014 gold. They will be hunting for gold again.

Further strong contenders include Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS), Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT), Iker Martinez and Marina Lopez (ESP), Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA), Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) as well as Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger (SUI).

Racing is scheduled to commence at 13:00 on Saturday 15 August with racing concluding on Saturday 22 August.

Rio Ready To Host Sailing Test Event Ahead Rio 2016 Olympic Games

The Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2014 is the first test event of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will take place from 2-9 August from the Marina da Gloria.

With 324 athletes from 34 nations, racing in 215 boats, it is set to be the largest Olympic classes sailing competition ever held in Brazil.

Organised by Rio 2016 and Confederação Brasileira de Vela (CBVela) in conjunction with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the regatta will test the field of play, equipment, workforce, systems and procedures two years out from the Olympic Sailing Competition.

All five proposed Olympic race course areas will be assessed during the course of the regatta. Three course areas – Ponte, Escola Naval and Pão de Açucar – are situated inside Guanabara Bay with the other two – Copacabana and Niterói – located outside the bay in open water.

Pãe de Açucar, the proposed Medal Race course area with its spectacular Rio backdrop, will be put through its paces from day one.

ISAF WORLD SAILING

Come Games Time, a workforce of over 1,000 people are expected to be working on the Olympic Sailing Competition and a key objective of the Test Event is to start developing the skills of the team who will be critical to a successful regatta. The on water race committee teams are one such group and their training programme will get underway under the guidance of International ISAF officials from Brazil and overseas.

Media coverage and results from the Aquece Rio will be delivered by the Rio 2016 team and ISAF through http://www.aquecerio.com/en/competicoes.php and http://www.sailing.org/2014-test-event.php

Coinciding with the first Rio 2016 World Press Briefing, international journalists are invited to attend specific sessions on three days in order to introduce them to the sailing venue, to athletes and to address specific issues about the Olympic Sailing Competition.

Whilst being a key regatta for the Rio 2016 workforce and ISAF Officials the regatta will offer the 324 sailors an opportunity to take to the Olympic race courses to gauge the conditions and circumstances that may be present in 2016.

Many of the teams and sailors have hours of Rio practice and race time under their belt but for ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Mat Belcher with crew Will Ryan (AUS) it will be new territory.

The pair will be a part of the 25-boat Men’s 470 fleet and with an Olympic quota of 26 it will resemble Games time racing, yet it’s not about the end result for the Australians in 2014, “Most teams are mainly heading to get comfortable in the Olympic environment and have an understanding of what to expect for the games,” explained Belcher. “This isn’t a performance event for us as the worlds are quite close. With this being my first time to Rio, we just are there to enjoy the experience and gather some more information on what to expect.

“It is important to spend enough time on the Olympic waters to feel comfortable. This event will provide a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of the conditions.

“Our main focus is just to enjoy the sailing and environment. We are not too focused on our development at this point. When we come back we will be in a better position to see how to adapt our preparations towards the Rio environment.”

Whilst being a newcomer to the venue Belcher has done his homework and explained what it will be like racing across the five courses, “Rio will be unique in the sense that the conditions will vary quite considerably depending on the race course. We certainly can expect strong currents, shifty winds and flatter waters on the inside courses, ocean waves on the outer courses, with a mild sea breeze development most predominant during this period.”

Joining the Australians in the fleet will be European Champions Luke Patience and Elliot Willis, World #3 pair Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO), World #5 Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion and World #7 duo Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom (SWE).

The Women’s 470 fleet will see a fleet of 20 take to the race course. Strong competitors are present throughout the fleet with World #1 Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance (FRA) set to race alongside World #5 Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR), World #4 Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA).

London 2012 Olympic silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR), former World #1 Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar, Beijing 2008 gold medallist Elise Rechici and Brazil’s Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luiza Barbachan are also set to race ensuring that the Women’s 470 will see tight knit racing.

The Men’s and Women’s RS:X will see fleets of 28 and 21 respectively.

Strength in depth is present in the Men’s RS:X with the London 2012 medallists all set to compete. Gold medallist Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED), silver medallist Nick Dempsey (GBR) and bronze medallist Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL) are all ready to race. With the likes of World #1 Ricardo Santos (BRA), the experienced Piotr Myszka (POL) and Beijing 2008 bronze medallist Shahar Zubari (ISR) also amongst the entrants it will be a competitive week of racing in the Men’s RS:X.

The women’s RS:X will be equally competitive with seven of the world’s top ten amongst the entrants. World #1 Flavia Tartaglini (ITA), World #2 Bryony Shaw (GBR) and World #3 Laura Linares (ITA) all come in with good form and will be aiming to impress.

London 2012 gold medallist Marina Alabau (ESP) will make her third post-Olympic appearance after becoming a mother. She heads to Rio full of confidence having picked up silver the European Championship in June.

Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2014 is the first of two test events with the second following in 2015, provisionally scheduled for 12-22 August.