Decisive winner

Kusznierewicz takes Finn Europeans as Ainslie suffers from black flag

After a week of racing in mixed conditions, Great Britain’s Ben Ainslie has won a silver medal at the Finn European championship in La Rochelle.

Ainslie went into the final day of the championship in second place, nine points behind the 1996 Olympic Gold medallist, Mateusz Kusznierewicz.

After two attempts to start the final race, it finally got underway under the black flag rule, the tide pushing competitors down to the crowded pin end of the line. There were a 11 casualties as a result, among them Ainslie, team mate Andrew Simpson, Sebastien Godefroid and Emilios Papathanasiou.

“It was such a relief, I could sail my own race.” declared Kusznierewicz. “My only worry was the downwind legs. I had to restrain myself from moving. I have never been so still in the boat, but I couldn’t afford a third penalty.” Kusznierewicz had to retire from race 5 after receiving two penalities for pumping. He would have had to retire from the regatta if he had received a third one.

Kusznierewicz took his final race win, giving him a convincing victory over the fleet and the title of Finn European champion.

Meanwhile from the sidebench Ainslie had to sit and wait and hope that no one else got a good enough score to overtake him. Ultimately managed to hold onto second place overall while French sailor Guillaume Florent moved up into bronze medal position. Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker finished 4th in his first European Championship in front of Sebastien Godefroid. Other Team GBR sailor Andrew Simpson finished 17th.

The European Junior Champion is Ukrainian Oleksiy Borysov in 42nd place who finished ahead of Tapio Nirkko from Finland (44th) and Lei Gong from China in 50th position.

Five more countries have now qualified in the Finn for Athens subject to ISAF approval: Argentina (Alejandro Colla 28th), Russia (Vladimir Krutskikh, 29th), Hungary (Balazs Hajdu, 33rd), Austria (Florian Raudaschl, 36th) and Italy (Michele Marchesini, 39th).

For the Prize Giving Ceremony tonight, the Yacht Club has invited all the famous French Finn sailors of all time to come and congratulate the World’s best. Among them, Serge Maury, Olympic Champion in Kiel in 1972, Didier Poissant, Olympic Games representative in 1956 in Melbourne, Yves-Louis Pinaud, 1960 in Roma, Gerard de Villard, Tokyo in 1964, Philippe Soria in Mexico in 1968, Philippe Presti,…

With the Olympic Games only three months away the tension is building and it will be interesting to see who will top the leader board at the next big Finn event, SPA Regatta in Holland on 26-30 May.

Final results

Pos	Sailor	Nat	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	Tot	Pts
1	KUSZNIEREWICZ Mateusz	POL	2	2	2	1	3	DNF	4	7	1	113	22
2	AINSLIE Ben	GBR	28	4	1	4	2	15	2	2	BFD	149	58
3	FLORENT Guillaume	FRA	11	5	9	2	13	10	8	4	13	75	62
4	BARKER Dean	NZL	4	37	6	18	10	9	9	1	16	110	73
5	GODEFROID Sébastien	BEL	1	6	3	35	7	11	11	6	BFD	171	80
6	CLARKE Richard	CAN	17	35	11	13	12	2	27	5	3	125	90
7	KURET Karlo	CRO	21	26	26	19	1	6	13	8	11	131	105
8	PAPATHANASIOU Emilios	GRE	29	1	4	17	8	22	30	3	BFD	205	114
9	WEBB Clifton	NZL	3	9	19	9	BFD	14	10	41	10	206	115
10	TRUJILLO Rafael	ESP	33	17	33	8	23	4	3	25	8	154	121
11	HOLM Soren	DEN	5	10	25	30	15	3	40	10	29	167	127
12	FOX Peter	NZL	6	15	35	14	6	24	32	12	20	164	129
13	NOSSITER Anthony	AUS	53	8	13	25	9	16	28	18	12	182	129
14	SIGNORINI JoÆo	BRA	20	24	15	20	16	27	22	19	2	165	138
15	MISURA Marin	CRO	19	42	23	27	5	7	---	13	4	231	140
16	ADAKAN Ali Enver	TUR	14	46	12	7	18	19	6	23	BFD	236	145
17	SIMPSON Andrew	GBR	41	3	24	5	30	1	37	14	BFD	246	155
18	VINCEC Gasper	SLO	40	50	14	11	4	26	1	24	BFD	261	170
19	ADERMAN Kristian	SWE	42	23	40	6	14	43	17	9	21	215	172
20	HOGH-CHRISTENSEN Jonas	DEN	13	7	7	24	19	8	12	DNF	BFD	272	181
21	BRUNO Ismaël	FRA	32	53	5	40	28	35	26	27	6	252	199
22	BURROWS David	IRL	54	38	16	51	BFD	20	7	11	5	293	202
23	ZIELHUIS Jaap	NED	8	54	10	10	24	30	34	35	BFD	296	205
24	FELLMANN Michael	GER	52	11	20	3	17	34	23	46	BFD	297	206
25	COOK Christopher	CAN	12	32	47	23	54	21	5	21	BFD	306	215
26	VIALI Nenad	CRO	34	16	31	12	33	5	38	57	47	273	216
27	DE VRIES Stefan	NED	27	61	36	33	31	12	49	28	7	284	223
28	COLLA Alejandro	ARG	43	28	18	36	32	29	39	17	28	270	227
29	KRUTSKIKH Vladimir	RUS	44	25	21	38	20	48	24	29	27	276	228
30	BIRGMARK Daniel	SWE	31	18	44	46	38	50	14	15	23	279	229
31	O'GRADY Aaron	IRL	7	22	29	58	35	32	36	33	38	290	232
32	SZUKIEL Rafal	POL	9	12	49	28	45	46	25	DNF	19	324	233
33	HAJDU Balazs	HUN	15	51	39	61	22	28	19	26	37	298	237
34	TILLANDER Johan	SWE	10	20	63	15	21	DNF	61	39	9	329	238
35	CHERNOV Evgeny	RUS	64	29	32	41	26	41	18	37	15	303	239
36	RAUDASCHL Florian	AUT	16	64	30	47	25	13	51	20	41	307	243
37	ALSOGARAY Julio	ARG	58	47	17	53	27	18	35	34	14	303	245
38	MUELLER VON BLUMENCRON Othmar	SUI	51	13	38	34	34	33	20	32	BFD	346	255
39	MARCHESINI Michele	ITALIE	26	21	43	29	50	31	60	42	35	337	277
40	HOWARD Matthew	GBR	46	48	27	31	51	36	82	16	36	373	291
41	TAVETER Imre	EST	75	34	BFD	56	42	37	16	22	25	398	307
42	BORYSOV Oleksiy	UKR	70	27	28	DSQ	46	61	15	47	24	409	318
43	LIU Bo	CHN	24	69	8	26	BFD	DSQ	43	30	30	412	321
44	NIRKKO Tapio	FIN	36	36	61	52	41	40	31	71	31	399	328
45	LI Hong Quan	CHN	55	58	65	74	43	62	21	31	17	426	352
46	MILLER Mattias	GER	57	77	53	16	48	52	54	51	26	434	357
47	ZHANG Peng	CHN	48	40	71	39	60	53	33	36	55	435	364
48	JACOB Youen	IRL	56	45	41	42	BFD	44	50	61	33	463	372
49	BOYD Bryan	USA	23	44	69	22	62	55	59	40	BFD	465	374
50	GONG Lei	CHN	30	14	BFD	45	47	51	46	56	---	471	380
51	LI Jun	CHN	63	56	66	55	40	42	48	44	32	446	380
52	KAPITONOV Vladislav	RUS	38	65	54	44	44	56	62	DNF	18	472	381
53	THEURER Peter	SUI	49	31	56	64	37	59	52	48	56	452	388
54	ZHANG Xiangfeng	CHN	67	19	77	63	BFD	17	41	77	34	486	395
55	ZETZEMA Wietze	NED	47	71	46	60	BFD	39	65	45	22	486	395
56	LAURSEN Thomas	DEN	59	59	42	62	39	47	47	68	46	469	401
57	MAIER Michael	CZE	65	63	22	37	11	23	DNF	DNC	---	494	403
58	CHEN Aimin	CHI	62	52	BFD	32	58	65	57	38	44	499	408
59	BURGER Christoph	SUI	35	43	37	21	BFD	38	66	DNF	---	513	422
60	CHRISTEN Christoph	SUI	71	75	57	66	29	60	45	54	40	497	422
61	PAPASTEFANOU Pachonios	GRE	80	41	48	59	57	58	44	73	45	505	425
62	GASZTON Pal	HUN	50	60	59	57	52	77	70	49	53	527	450
63	SCHUTTRUPS Nanno	NED	73	78	51	73	63	69	42	55	39	543	465
64	CARVER Tim	GBR	37	DNF	74	71	56	45	69	66	51	560	469
65	TACCHINO Iacopo	ITA	77	76	60	43	36	54	77	75	50	548	471
66	ANDREWS Mark	GBR	76	55	62	50	DNF	63	74	43	48	562	471
67	FRUCTUOSO Diego	ESP	82	72	45	49	53	64	68	78	43	554	472
68	PALLAY Tibor	HUN	66	39	50	70	59	67	63	62	BFD	567	476
69	WILLEMS Sander	NED	18	70	34	BFD	BFD	25	58	RAF	---	569	478
70	HOOL Janno	EST	45	80	55	75	61	73	64	50	57	560	480
71	DELLAS Jan-Dietmar	GER	60	49	80	48	BFD	49	79	64	59	579	488
72	DROGOWSKI Yarema	POL	69	66	64	69	55	74	53	52	BFD	593	502
73	LIIV Harles	EST	39	67	DNF	54	64	57	67	DNF	BFD	621	530
74	BEER Ben	ISV	61	57	75	68	74	66	76	53	---	621	530
75	YAROSHENKO Yevgen	UKR	85	68	58	77	49	75	71	76	58	617	532
76	BENZ Nick	SUI	79	62	52	76	69	DNF	81	60	54	624	533
77	LE CHATELIER Pierre	FRA	83	73	76	67	BFD	72	56	65	49	632	541
78	BRACK Thomas	SUI	68	88	72	78	65	70	78	63	52	634	546
79	VEIT David	SUI	74	83	68	65	68	71	72	59	BFD	651	560
80	BUERGI Franz	SUI	78	84	67	80	73	68	55	58	BFD	654	563
81	FLAK Bartlomiey	POL	84	85	73	81	70	81	29	69	BFD	663	572
82	BOLLONGINO Andreas	GER	86	74	81	72	67	76	73	72	62	663	577
83	HALL Kevin	USA	22	30	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	689	598
84	DEVOTI Luca	ITA	25	33	DNC	DNF	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	695	604
85	SEGUIN Gaël	FRA	88	87	70	83	71	80	80	74	61	694	606
86	SALIOU Jean-Philippe	FRA	89	81	82	79	66	78	---	---	42	699	608
87	COLIN DE VERDIERE Mathieu	GBR	72	82	83	85	72	83	85	DNC	63	716	625
88	ELLER Michael	GER	81	79	78	84	DNF	79	75	DNF	60	718	627
89	LEMAITRE Simon	FRA	87	86	79	82	75	82	83	70	---	735	644
90	REYES Ricardo	ARG	DNF	DNF	DNC	86	BFD	84	84	67	64	749	658