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Sailing - 15. August 2008.

Gold beckons for GB sailors


The Yngling trio of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson have also ensured a medal for Team GB – a minimum of silver as long as they finish their medal race without incident – with a nail-biting showdown for gold on the cards with the Dutch trio of Mandy Mulder, Annemieke Bes and Merel Witteveen in the women’s keelboat event.


The day started in frustrating fashion for Team GB’s sailors, with a delay of almost four hours before racing could finally get underway.


With a cut off time of 1600 to get the Finn and Yngling classes started, there was plenty of tension on course E for those sailors on the brink of the medal race places.



Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson are also guaranteed a medal in the Yngling class going into their medal race with the narrowest of one-point margins over the second-placed Dutch boat.


Ayton’s crew scored a fifth place in their only race of today but with the Dutch crew of Mulder, Bes and Witteveen winning the race, the Brits’ five-point advantage going in the race had been reduced to one by the end of it, teeing up a riveting medal race showdown tomorrow.


Gold will be guaranteed if the Brits finish ahead of the Dutch while it will be silver if they finish behind their rivals. Only a disqualification or failure to finish the race, with the Greek team winning the medal race, would see the Brits finishing with anything less than silver.


On their race result today, Wilson revealed: “We made a slight error on our sail selection and so were a little bit compromised for speed – we overestimated the wind a bit. So it was a tough race but we hung in there tactically and as a team.”


While the Yngling girls would not be drawn on their approach to tomorrow’s showdown with the Dutch team, they’re certainly relishing the challenge. “It’s a great position to be in, going into the medal race – it’s just us and the Dutch, who beats who for gold and silver.


“We put enough pressure on ourselves to win gold every day that we sail,” Wilson continued. “It’s great to be in this position, but we want gold so we’ll do everything we can to make that happen.


“It’s always been about coming home with a gold medal for us, for Great Britain, for everyone that’s supported us – that’s always what our programme’s been about.”



Penny Clark saw a 22 in the sole race for the Laser Radial class today, but should improve on her overall position of 10th once she can drop her worst result after the fifth race for the fleet tomorrow



Schedule of racing – Saturday 16 August (times are local)

Course A: 1300 hrs – Finn medal race

Course A: 1400 hrs – Yngling medal race

Course B: 1200hrs – 49er class (3 races)

Course B: 1400hrs – RS:X men and women (3 races each)

Course C: 1200hrs – Laser and Laser Radial (3 races each)

Course D: 1300hrs – 470 men and 470 women (3 races each)

Course E: 1200hrs – Star and Tornado (3 races each)

You can follow the racing online at www.rya.org.uk/beijing2008, where you will get updates from the dinghy park and the results as they come in, as well as the news from the Team GB camp. You can also leave messages of support for the team and your comments on the racing and Team GB’s prospects.

 

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