Medal Race excitement

A number of medals were decided during the Medal Races at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland

The heat came on at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland this afternoon with some front runners ousted from the top spot during the pressure of the double points medal race. The regatta, which was sailed over four days on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour concluded this afternoon with the prize giving set for this evening.

Maxim Oberemko (UKR), dominant throughout the regatta went into the Men’s RS:X medal race with an eight point margin over Julian Bontemps of France. However it was Bontemps who won the race, sailed in easterly winds of 8-12 knots, who then turned to watch where Oberemko would finish.

The Ukrainian came in seventh, relegating him to the silver, and sealing the gold for Bontemps. JP Tobin of New Zealand sailed a solid medal race, finishing in third and maintained his position for the bronze medal.

Current world champion, Alessandra Sensini won the Women’s RS:X, further demonstrating the benchmark for women’s Olympic class boardsailing. The Italian adds this gold medal to her recent win at Sail Melbourne 2007 as well as a win at the New Zealand National Championships sailed in late January.

Andrew Murdoch (NZL) had a close battle with Luka Radelic of Croatia thoughout the four day regatta, and the tustle lasted right through the medal race. Murdoch set out knowing he had to finish within two places of the Croatian to secure the gold medal and did so, placing sixth in the medal race, with Radelic scoring a fourth.

Kiwi youth sailor Josh Junior took out the medal race win, but Murdoch wins the gold, Radelic the silver and David Weaver (NZL) the bronze.

Jo Aleh went into the Women’s Laser Radial medal race in the top spot with a three point margin over Krystal Weir of Australia but failed to secure a medal. Aleh crossed the line in eighth place sliding out of the medals to finish fourth overall.

Weir won gold over Sohphie de Turckheim of France in second place. Miranda Powrie of New Zealand moved up to claim the bronze.

The most spectacular finish of the day was in the Open 470 medal race where overnight leaders Geoff Woolley and Mark Overington (NZL) had the pressure on from 16 year olds Carl Evans and Peter Burling (NZL). The youth pair won the final qualifying race this morning, and when Woolley and Overington placed fifth in that race the two local crews went into the medal race with 27 points apiece.

The lead changed constantly during the medal race, with Woolley and Overington slipping back to ninth in the fleet. However, they fought back and after a tight rounding of the final mark it was all on to the finish line with Woolley and Overington blasting through passing their young rivals to cross the line in third, winning them the gold medal.

Hot on their heels in fourth were Evans and Burling, rounding out the regatta, their first ever ISAF Grade 1 in the 470 class with the silver.

Shelley Hesson and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher were the top placed Womens’ 470 crew and finished 6th overall in the open fleet.

Dan Slater and Sander Willems kept the umpires busy in the pre-start to the Finn medal race, in a match-racing dual. Slater broke away from the fleet early however, and continued to stretch his lead right to the finish line. The kiwi sailor, currently ranked number two in the world won the gold medal convincingly.

The Tornado class medal race was a close fought battle with Brett Sellers and Nigel Williams (NZL) starting the race with a four point leading margin over Bruce Kendall and Hayden Whitburn. The lead alternated between the top three boats, with Kendall and Whitburn required to finish two places ahead of their rivals to topple them from the top spot.

Kendall and Whitburn took the lead and extended it to cross the finish well ahead of the following two boats locked close together as they approached the line. Sellers and Williams crossed ahead in second place to secure them the gold medal, giving the silver to Kendall and Whitburn.

Results:

Laser

Laser Radial

470 Men

470 Women

49er

Tornado

Finn

RS:X Men

RS:X Women