Olympic Sailing 2024: Shifting Winds and Tight Battles As Medal Race Day Looms for Most
Penultimate day of Olympic Sailing for the Mixed Multihull and Dinghy fleets lines up tense finals, while Medal Race for Men's and Women's Dinghy cancelled
The planned Medal Races for the Women’s and Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 6 and ILCA 7) could not take place due to a lack of wind yesterday, so Wednesday will see four Olympic Sailing events conclude as Medal Racing for these Dinghies takes place in addition to Medal Races for the Olympic Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) and Olympic Mixed Dinghy (470).
Australia’s Matt Wearn, who leads the Men’s Dinghy standings, will have to wait to see if he can secure gold, while Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides remains his closest challenger. In the Women’s Dinghy, the dominant Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands stands on the brink of becoming the most successful female sailor in Olympic history, with Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom poised for silver.
For the Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy fleets, the penultimate day of Olympic Sailing in Marseille was marked by light winds and high stakes as competitors completed the final races of the Opening Series. Here’s a roundup of the key events and standings ahead of the decisive Medal Races.
Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images
Mixed Multihull: Tita and Banti Secure Lead Despite Disqualification
Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti have guaranteed themselves at least a silver medal heading into the Mixed Multihull Medal Race. Despite a disqualification in race ten due to an early start, they bounced back with a strong second-place finish in race eleven, maintaining a 14-point lead.
Tita remarked, “There’s not going to be a match race. We are going to try and control the situation based on the points we have. Second, third, and fourth will have a big battle, and we aim to stay out of that and focus on our race.”
Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco sit in second, having delivered a consistent performance with a first and second place in the day’s races. Great Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet, who climbed to third after a race win, are level on points with New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson.
Bosco said, “We had a really good day and we’re really happy. The conditions were tricky and unstable, but we managed well.”
Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images
Mixed Dinghy: Tight Contest Heading into Medal Race
Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr surged to the top of the Mixed Dinghy standings with a fifth and second place in the final races of the Opening Series. They hold a seven-point lead over Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman, who remain in second. Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka are close behind in third.
Vadlau emphasised the importance of strategy, “We have to sail smart tomorrow. We have almost no advantage, but we are here to win a medal.”
Maehr added, “It’s nice to start with a little bit of a point advantage. We will talk with our coach about the plan and enjoy going into the Medal Race in first position.”
Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch
Formula Kite: Vodisek and Nolot Take the Lead
Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek reclaimed the lead in the Men’s Olympic Kitesurfing with a win in race six. Despite a fourth-place finish in race seven, he edged ahead of Singapore’s Max Maeder, who struggled with an 11th place finish in the first race of the day. Austria’s Valentin Bontus held onto third despite a challenging 20th place finish in race seven.
In the Women’s Kite, France’s Lauriane Nolot surged to the top after winning the only race of the day. Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler dropped out of the top three following a DNS, while Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge held onto second overall despite also receiving a DNS. USA’s Daniela Moroz sits in third after a seventh-place finish.
Vodisek expressed his enthusiasm, “My girlfriend’s coming soon, which will make everything easier. There’s going to be another level when she turns up.”
Nolot highlighted the tricky conditions, “It’s the light wind Olympic Games. Every race matters, which is why I’m super focused in every single race.”
Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page
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