In the 10 sailing classes of the first World Cup Series, held in Enoshima Bay (JPN) at the site of 2020 Olympic regatta, none of the winners at last month’s World Sailing Championships was able to claim victory.
Instead, the races marked a return of some veteran stars and indicated some new talent to be watched as 2020 approaches.
The Netherlands led all nations with four wins, taking the men’s RS:X with Kiran Badloe, the men’s Finn with Nicholas Heiner, the women’s Laser Radial with Marit Bouwmeester and the women’s 470 with Afrodite Kyranakou and Anneloes van Veen. Bouwmeester is the reigning Olympic champion in the Laser Radial and by virtue of winning here, essentially qualifies to compete in Tokyo for the Dutch.
“It was pretty challenging with the light winds and offshore breeze so I’m very happy with the result,” said Bouwmeester. “It’s great to secure my spot for the Olympics and now I can focus on putting together the best possible campaign I can. I’m going to try and spend as much time as I can in Enoshima.”
Japan also claimed a victory in the men’s 470 with Keiju Okada and Jumpei Hokazono winning and the team of Daichi Takeyama and Kimihiko Imamura third. Said Japan Sailing team leader Aiko Saito, “We have at least four in the top ten and then we have one or two more. [470 is] our key class and I am very happy that the boys are doing well. For me, it doesn’t matter who wins, just as long as we are winning.”
The World Cup Series takes a break and will resume off Miami Beach, Florida (USA) in late January. Summaries:
World Cup Series I
Enoshima Bay (JPN) ~ 9-16 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men
RS:X: 1. Kiran Badloe (NED), 37.0 net points; 2. Mateo Sanz Lanz (SUI), 51.0; 3. Pierre Le Coq (FRA), 54.0.
Laser: 1. Elliott Hanson (GBR), 59.0; 2. Matthew Wearn (AUS), 97.0; 3. Sam Meech (NZL), 106.0.
Finn: 1. Nicholas Heiner (NED), 32.8; 2. Giles Scott (GBR), 36.0; 3. Edward Wright (GBR), 37.0.
49er: 1. James Peters/Fynn Sterritt (GBR), 54.0; 2. Logan Dunning Beck/Oscar Gunn (NZL), 72.0; 3. Lukasz Przybytek/Pawel Kolodzinski (POL), 72.0. Also in the top 10: 9. Chris Rast/Trevor Burd (USA), 87.0.
470: 1. Keiju Okada/Jumpei Hokazono (JPN), 32.0; 2. Matt Belcher/Wil Ryan (NZL), 40.0; 3. Daichi Takeyama/Kimihiko Imamura (JPN), 43.0. Also in the top 10: 5. Stuart McNay/David Hughes (USA), 63.0.
Women
RS:X: 1. Peina Chen (CHN), 34.0; 2. Lillian de Geus (NED), 45.0; 3. Yunxiu Lu (CHN), 47.0.
Laser Radial: 1. Marit Bouwmeester (NED), 30.0; 2. Josefin Olsson (SWE), 51.0; 3. Emma Plasschaert (BEL), 57.0.
49er FX: 1. Martine Soffiatti Grael/Kahena Kunze (BRA), 19.0; 2. Alexandra Maloney/Molly Meech (NZL), 45.0; 3. Klara Wester/Rebecca Netzler (SWE), 48.0. Also in the top 10: 10. Stephanie Roble/Margaret Shea (USA), 74.0.
470: 1. Afrodite Kyranakou/Anneloes van Veen (NED), 29.0; 2. Ai Kondo Yoshida/Miho Yoshioka (JPN), 33.0; 3. Benedetta di Salle/Alessandra Dubbini (ITA), 34.0.
Mixed
Nacra 17: 1. Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin (AUS), 34.0; 2. Ruggero Tita/Caterina Marianna Banti (ITA), 35.0; 3. Vittorio Bissaro/Maelle Frascari (ITA), 42.0. Also in the top 10: 10. Bora Gulari/Helena Scutt (USA), 91.0.
