Over 800 sailors across ten Olympic and two Paralympic events will sail at
ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères from 22-27 April 2013.
After regattas in Melbourne, Australia, Miami, USA and Palma de Mallorca,
Spain, ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères will bring the 2012-13 series to
a close and will feature the world’s top sailors.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères welcomes London 2012 Laser Radial gold
medallist Lijia Xu (CHN) who returns to the fleet for the first time since
her thrilling Medal Race victory at London 2012 where she sealed
China’s first ever Olympic sailing gold medal in a dinghy.
Xu, the 2012 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, won in Hyères in
2012 as her preparations for the Olympic Games ramped up. Her aim for 2013
is somewhat different than last, “I am having an easy year sailing
after the Olympics, I still want to enjoy every second on the boat.
“I haven't sailed since the London Games, not even now. I will
arrive in Hyères a week earlier to smooth my steering. As an easy
year, my aim is to keep my feeling with the sailboat. So the physical and
technical preparation will be kept to a minimum, to provide more time on my
study and spending time with family or friends in order to make the most of
my transition year.”
The Chinese sailor won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Sailing
Competition and was selective over her events initially after the 2008
Games, a path that she will follow again on the road to Rio, “I will
focus more on the journey itself instead of the destination. Rio is part of
my goal and I'd like to balance every aspect of my life, cherish every
moment and appreciate everyone around me alongside the process towards my
next goal.”
Also stepping back into a Radial for the first time since London 2012 is
Marit Bouwmeester (NED). Like Xu, the Olympic silver medallist has taken her
time to get back into the boat and following a split from her coach of seven
years Hyères will be a fresh start for the Dutch sailor.
Bouwmeester said, “I'm very grateful to Mark [Littlejohn] for
what we have achieved. But I now see opportunities to the next step towards
a more independent athlete. I want more control over my own campaign. I want
a variety of experts from the Laser to see what works well with little wind,
the conditions we can expect in Rio.
“My focus is on the ISAF Worlds in 2014 in Santander and optimum
preparation for Rio 2016. I want some experts committed to Santander and
from the 2014 Worlds to work with a permanent coach until the games in
Rio.”
Whilst the Olympic medallists may find the early going slow many of the
fleet will bring some form into the regatta. Alison Young (GBR) dominated
the Radial fleet in Palma to claim a well-deserved gold medal and with
confidence high Young will be mixing it up at the front. Ireland’s
Annalise Murphy, Canada’s Isabella Bertold, France’s Amelie Riou
and Croatia’s Tina Mihelic will all be aiming for top finishes.
There is also further action in the 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17,
Women’s RS:X, 2.4mR and the Sonar.
Racing is scheduled to start at 11:00 local time on 22 April with the
climax of racing on 27 April.
