One More Day of Radial Worlds

Miho Bay, Sakaiminato City, Japan

It was a fine day for Laser racing at Laser Radial Worlds – clear skies and a mostly steady 18-20 knot Westerly.  They call this the Kamikaze Wind.  The velocity varied a bit, with gusts in the low 20s and lulls down to about 15.  The heading varied five degrees around the average, maybe ten at a few points, but it was never sustained long enough for a major course change.  It was a day to stay in phase and stay in the pressure.

The shake-up of the leaderboard for Radial Women’s that began yesterday continued today.  Yesterday’s leader, Ecem Güzel (TUR), finished 26th in the first race today, which is now her discard.  Several others in the top-ten had double digit finishes in that race, as well, which was won by Josefin Olsson (SWE), working to recover from letter scores yesterday.

The top three in the second race were Line Flem Høst (NOR), Mária Érdi (HUN), and Emma Plasschaert (BEL), none of whom are in contention to win, but their finishes influenced the standings for the end of today.  Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) sailed the most consistently, with a 2nd and a 5th, and is currently leading.  A second discard becomes available to the racers after one race tomorrow.  For Rindom, a second discard will allow her to discard a 28th from the Qualifying Series, making her a strong contender to win the event.

In the Radial Men’s Worlds, two races today brought a second discard into play.  Simon de Gednt (BEL) now only counts a string of 1sts and one 2nd, discarding a UFD and a 23 and is the clear leader with 9 points.  Zac West (AUS) is safely in second place with 20 points, followed by Mark Louis (AUS) with 39.

But berths for the 2020 Olympic Games is an important factor in the Women’s Worlds – fourteen countries in the Gold fleet are competing for the ten spots allocated for this event.  At the end of Day 5, Croatia (CRO), Argentina (ARG), and Australia (AUS) are likely to compete in 2020.  Russia (RUS), Lithuania (LTU), Belarus (BLR), and New Zealand (NZL) would be qualified if racing ended today, but they are closely followed by Guatemala (GUA), Thailand (THA), Spain (ESP), and Saint Lucia (LCA).

One more day of racing, with two races scheduled, and the forecast calls for similar winds.  We’ll see what happens, but as of now:

Men:
1.   Simon de Gendt               BEL                 9 (20) pts…total (without two discards)
2.   Zac West                           AUS                 20 (32) pts
3.   Mark Louis                       AUS                 39 (72) pts
4.   Guilherme Perez             BRA                 43 (75) pts

Women:
1.   Anne-Marie Rindom       DEN                57 (114) pts…total (without one discard)
2.   Ecem Güzel                      TUR                 59 (89) pts
3.   Tuula Tenkanen              FIN                  67 (115) pts
4.   Marit Bouwmeester        NED                68 (91) pts
5.   Emma Plasschaert          BEL                 76 (97) pts
6.   Charlotte Rose                 USA                 76 (123) pts
7.   Alison Young                    GBR                 78 (108) pts
8.   Josefin Olsson                  SWE                87 (144) pts
9.   Marie Barrue                   FRA                 90 (129) pts
10. Paige Railey                     USA                 92 (149) pts

2020 Olympic Qualification (14 countries competing for 10 places):
1.   Croatia                              CRO                 107 pts
2.   Argentina                         ARG                 151 pts
3.   Australia                           AUS                 163 pts
4.   Ireland                             IRL                  195 pts
5.   Uruguay                           URU                199 pts
6.   Cypress                            CYP                 205 pts
7.   Russia                               RUS                 208 pts
8.   Lithuania                          LTU                 208 pts
9.   Belarus                             BLR                 209 pts
10. New Zealand                   NZL                 212 pts
11. Guatemala                        GUA                 255 pts
12. Thailand                            THA                 258 pts
13. Spain                                 ESP                 260 pts
14. Saint Lucia                        LCA                  261 pts