Finals in France

The Semaine Olympique Francaise has come to a close in Hyeres

Despite a pessimistic forecast, the intense medal race programme was completed as scheduled in Hyeres. The wind, light and often shifty forced the committee to constantly adjust the course. Sailing proved difficult and tested the skills of the ten teams in each of the ten Olympic classes engaged in the event. The Sonar and 2.4 concluded the regatta with a final fleet race.

The 470 men were the first fleet to start their Medal Race in front of the harbour in Hyères. The light and shifty wind, forced the race committee to reduce the course to a single windward return. The French teams were leading the ten boat fleet and rounded the top mark in first and second, but the run proved costly. Athens Silver medallists, Nick Rogers and Joe Glandfield and New Zealanders Evans and Burling passed the French on the run. The British took first place with the last two gybes to the finish claiming the Gold medal and their second title at the SOF. Early regatta leaders, Sven and Kalle Coster placed fifth for Silver. The New Zealanders were a close third on equal points with Charbonnier and Bausset (FRA) fourth.

The start of the Yngling race, scheduled at the same time on the South area, was postponed with the wind shifting East. The Committees repositioned the racing areas to fit the new wind direction.

Match racing specialists, Barkow, Howe and Capozzi (USA) excelled in the Medal Race with a good start and speed to win the race and climb on the second step of the podium. After only one year in the Yngling, Athens Gold medallist in the Europe class, Siren Sundby (NOR) has won her first Grade 1 regatta in the Olympic keelboat with Lise Fredriksen and Alexandra Koefoed. The podium is completed with another Gold medal team. Current European and World champions, Sarah Ayton, Pippa Wilson and Sarah Webb's (GBR) second place in the Medal Race gives them Bronze, on equal points with the Americans.

A victory in the women's 470 Medal Race gives the Germans, Stefanie Rothweiler and Vivien Kussatz, the Silver medal in the SOF. World ranked number two, Japaneses Ai Kondo and Naoko Kamata, were sixth across the line, conserving the lead and claiming their first Grade one event title. The Japanese who have placed second in the 2007 Olympic test event are among the top favourite in China. Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol (ITA) will have to settle for Bronze after a eighth place in the Medal Race.

The Finn Medal race was won by Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) and sailed in very light winds that didn’t exceed five knots. The lead changed many time with the shifty conditions. Yesterday's leader, World number one, Jonas Hoegh-Christensen conserves the lead to win the event for the first time after placing second last year and third in 2006. “I had to cover Gasper Vincec (SLO) to protect the overall lead. At one stage he came close to win but dropped back enough for me to win.” 2006 SOF winner Ed Wright (GBR) takes the second place in front of Gasper Vincec (SLO).

In the Tornado, the French pairing of Xavier Revil and Christophe Espagnon won the Medal Race with a safe lead over Dutch Booth and Nieuwenhuis and Belgium Brouwer and Godefroid. The Australians Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby, 2008 World Champions, conserve the lead in the regatta and add a SOF title in their already impressive achievements. Francesco Marcolini and Eduardo Bianchi (ITA) takes Silver in front of the Dutch.

Paul Goodison’s (GBR) victory in the Medal race will not be enough to lift the British on the podium. Michael Leigh (CAN) and Andrew Murdoch (NZL) keep their earlier overall position, while Athens Silver medallist, Andreas Geritzer (AUT) takes the Bronze after placing fourth in the medal race. The Canadian, winner of the 2007 Sydney International regatta, has made the podium twice before in Hyères with a third place at the 2007 Laser European Championship and the Semaine Olympique Française in 2006.

There was no surprise in the Laser Radial fleet where the top four remain unchanged after Chinese Lijia Xu’s victory. World number three, Sarah Blank (AUS) has kept the command of the Radial fleet all week and has proved her skills in the breeze as well as in lighter air.

2007 RS:X world champions in both the women and men division have taken the Gold in Hyères. Ricardo Santos (BRA) has mastered the light conditions that have prevailed in Hyères these last two days. The Brazilian wins the Medal race and the event, proving his skills in all type of weather. Julien Bontemps will be the only French medallist in Hyères this year. He takes second in the medal race and the regatta. Bronze is taken by Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL). Casper Bouman narrowly missed third place and the top three quota requested by his Olympic committee. Another top eight result is needed by the Dutch to get his ticket for China.

The top three remain unchanged in the Women division. Sofia Keplacka (POL) is continuing in her good form winning confortably the regatta after her third place in Palma. At ease in the breeze as well as light conditions she will be a main threat for her opponents at the European Championship next month in Brest and the Olympic Games. Olga Maslivets (UKR) and Jannicke Stalstrom (NOR) are conserving their second position. Charline Picon (FRA) wins the second race and is placed fourth a point away from the podium.

Recently crowned European champions, Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez continue on their good form. Third in the medal race, the Spanish stole the lead of the regatta from American Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast. Vice European champions, Federico and Arturo Alonso (ESP) take third place. Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello (ITA) won the Medal race and are fifth overal.

The Sonar and 2.4 raced an ultimate race to complete the series.

Tao Wang, Huiagao Zfou and Weija Xu (CHN) won the last race in the Sonar and place fourth only one point from third. Robertson, Stodel, Thomas (GBR) have won the regatta after collecting no less than eight victories. Leading the ranking all week in the 2.4 class, Damien Seguin further increased his advance today. Heiko Kroeger (GER) and Thierry Schmitter (NED) are on equal pointsin second and third place.

FINN

1-Jonas Hogh Christ (Denmark) 42 points (Détail courses : 6,1,3,12,9,4,2,1,8,)
2-Edward Wright (Great Britain) 45 points (Détail courses : 15,5,7,9,4,1,7,4,4,)
3-Gasper Vincec (Slovenia) 46 points (Détail courses : 7,2,9,2,5,5,5,6,7,)
4-Pieter Jan Postma (The Netherlands) 54 points (Détail courses : 1,7,11,4,8,13,8,13,1,)
5-Daniel Birgmark (Sweden) 63 points (Détail courses : 5,6,24,14,19,2,9,2,3,)
6-Ivan Kljakovic G (Croatia) 67 points (Détail courses : 12,13,2,6,16,15,12,3,2,)
7-Anthony Nossiter (Australia) 72 points (Détail courses : 11,10,21,5,1,6,6,11,OCS ,)
8-Christopher Cook (Canada) 78 points (Détail courses : 2,3,16,1,6,20,18,21,6,)
9-Zach Railey (United States O) 90 points (Détail courses : 9,OCS ,10,29,13,10,4,5,5,)
10-Guillaume Florent (Dunkerque Y C) 92 points (Détail courses : 17,OCS ,6,11,2,9,11,18,9,)

470 Men

1-Nick Rogers / Joe Glanfield (Great Britain) 39 points (Détail courses : 1,2,1,5,6,10,20,12,1,)
2-Sven Coster / Kalle Coster (The Netherlands) 43 points (Détail courses : 1,3,6,8,1,2,12,30,5,)
3-Carl Evans / Peter Burling (New Zealand) 56 points (Détail courses : 7,1,10,7,21,9,13,5,2,)
4-Nicolas Charbonnier / Olivier Bausset (YC Antibes / SN Ste Maxime ) 56 points (Détail courses : 11,7,20,2,5,14,4,1,6,)
5-Benjamin Bonnaud / Romain Bonnaud (Sports Nautiques Sablais) 58 points (Détail courses : 8,2,3,16,2,7,21,14,3,)
6-Eyal Levine / Yam Amir (Israel) 58 points (Détail courses : 2,16,5,3,28,5,6,13,4,)
7-Gabrio Zandona / Andrea Trani (Italy) 64 points (Détail courses : 9,4,7,4,7,6,27,11,8,)
8-Matthias Schmid / Florian Reichstaedt (Austria) 82 points (Détail courses : 3,3,6,8,15,24,23,4,10,)
9-Pierre Leboucher / Vincent Garos (A S P T T Nantes / SNO Nantes) 83 points (Détail courses : 9,7,9,9,4,16,11,29,9,)
10-Alvaro Marinho / Miguel Nunes (Portugal) 86 points (Détail courses : 2,1,1,17,32,20,9,22,7,)

470 Women

1-Ai Kondo / Naoko Kamata (Japan) 46 points (Détail courses : 4,10,2,3,6,7,17,2,6,)
2-Stefanie Rothweiler / Vivien Kussatz (Germany) 51 points (Détail courses : 14,12,9,10,1,5,6,6,1,)
3-Giulia Conti / Giovanna Micol (Italy) 62 points (Détail courses : 9,13,3,5,30,1,8,7,8,)
4-Maria Ferna Sesto / Consuelo Monsegur (Argentina) 75 points (Détail courses : 13,4,8,2,20,11,11,25,3,)
5-Nike Kornecki / Vered Bouskila (Israel) 83 points (Détail courses : 7,26,7,4,23,8,5,15,7,)
6-Christina Bassadone / Saskia Clark (Great Britain) 84 points (Détail courses : 3,DNF ,15,11,14,2,16,19,2,)
7-Xiaoli Wang / Xufeng Huang (China) 84 points (Détail courses : 8,14,14,25,9,16,10,5,4,)
8-Therese Torgersson / Vendela Santen (Sweden) 87 points (Détail courses : 22,23,6,19,5,3,2,12,9,)
9-Marcelien de Koning / Lobke Berkhout (The Netherlands) 92 points (Détail courses : 2,2,4,DNF ,3,OCS ,1,32,5,)
10-Yineng Huang / Yinjuan Shen (China) 105 points (Détail courses : 6,5,11,6,16,22,19,27,10,)

TORNADO

1-Darren Bundock / Glenn Ashby (Australia) 37 points (Détail courses : 6,7,5,2,7,1,1,7,4,)
2-Francesco Marcolini / Edoardo Bianchi (Italy) 43 points (Détail courses : 8,1,11,OCS ,3,2,6,2,5,)
3-Mitch Booth / Pim Nieuwenhuis (The Netherlands) 48 points (Détail courses : 1,5,12,1,1,19,5,20,2,)
4-Leigh Mcmillan / Will Howden (Great Britain) 52 points (Détail courses : 7,6,4,7,2,5,3,18,9,)
5-Xavier Revil / Christophe Espagnon (SRV Annecy – SRR Equipe de France Militaire) 58 points (Détail courses : 13,11,1,8,14,13,4,6,1,)
6-Fernando Echavarri / Anton Paz (Spain) 58 points (Détail courses : 3,3,2,5,OCS ,3,7,15,10,)
7-Johannes Polgar / Florian Spalteholz (Germany) 59 points (Détail courses : 5,2,18,3,18,4,11,4,6,)
8-Carolijn Brouwer / Sebastien Godefroid (Belgium) 71 points (Détail courses : 2,4,19,4,4,20,15,17,3,)
9-Tino Mittelmeier / Niko Mittelmeier (Germany) 76 points (Détail courses : 15,15,7,14,6,7,8,3,8,)
10-Francois Morvan / Mathieu Vandame (SRVannes / SR Vannes) 83 points (Détail courses : 19,DNF ,6,13,5,8,2,16,7,)

YNGLING

1-Siren Sundby (Norway) 44 points (Détail courses : 8,5,1,6,2,3,4,8,18,3,6,)
2-Sally Barkow (United States O) 51 points (Détail courses : 4,3,16,10,11,11,8,3,1,9,1,)
3-Sarah Ayton (Great Britain) 51 points (Détail courses : 3,1,14,3,7,10,16,5,4,15,2,)
4-Ekaterina Skudina (Russia) 57 points (Détail courses : 5,9,8,11,1,8,10,1,2,7,8,)
5-Silja Sofia Lehtinen (Finland) 64 points (Détail courses : 2,4,6,2,12,2,3,14,16,13,10,)
6-Anne-Claire le Berre, Alice Ponsar, Marion Deplanque (USAM Voile Equipe de France Militaire, CVB Erquy Equipe de France Militaire, SNO Nantes Equipe de France Militaire) 65 points (Détail courses : 14,10,5,4,3,DSQj,7,11,7,4,7,)
7-Anna Basalkina (Russia) 70 points (Détail courses : 18,8,13,1,6,13,6,9,6,14,4,)
8-Dominique Provoyeur (South Africa) 74 points (Détail courses : 17,6,4,17,15,9,19,7,5,5,3,)
9-Ulrike Schü Schuemann (Germany) 78 points (Détail courses : 1,2,12,5,10,16,5,13,12,17,9,)
10-Renee Groeneveld (The Netherlands) 80 points (Détail courses : 6,11,10,13,8,7,9,6,15,16,5,)

LASER

1-Michael Leigh (Canada) 40 points (Détail courses : 2,3,2,4,10,46,3,12,2,)
2-Andrew Murdoch (New Zealand) 52 points (Détail courses : 2,3,6,1,2,13,11,15,7,)
3-Andreas Geritzer (Austria) 64 points (Détail courses : 6,4,5,9,1,15,OCS ,16,4,)
4-Paul Goodison (Great Britain) 68 points (Détail courses : 15,6,4,12,44,25,2,2,1,)
5-Nick Thompson (Great Britain) 71 points (Détail courses : 3,1,1,1,17,33,25,11,6,)
6-Kristian Ruth (Norway) 73 points (Détail courses : 4,6,2,17,5,19,14,BFD ,3,)
7-Tonci Stipanovic (Croatia) 74 points (Détail courses : 10,9,1,6,18,2,18,20,5,)
8-Johan Wigforss (Sweden) 75 points (Détail courses : 13,8,16,6,8,32,1,1,DNF ,)
9-David Wright (Canada) 79 points (Détail courses : 9,12,8,13,3,20,4,14,8,)
10-Jean Baptiste Bernaz (COYCH) 80 points (Détail courses : 18,5,3,5,6,30,21,4,9,)

LASER RADIAL

1-Sarah Blanck (Australia) 20 points (Détail courses : 1,2,1,1,2,2,14,3,4,)
2-Anna Tunnicliffe (United States O) 46 points (Détail courses : 6,11,2,1,7,3,6,5,8,)
3-Evi Van Acker (Belgium) 47 points (Détail courses : 2,2,3,6,3,6,26,15,5,)
4-Nathalie Brugger (Switzerland) 58 points (Détail courses : 5,3,4,7,11,5,9,29,7,)
5-Lijia Xu (China) 61 points (Détail courses : 3,4,7,3,1,35,24,17,1,)
6-Jo Aleh (New Zealand) 69 points (Détail courses : 5,BFD ,7,4,16,1,3,21,6,)
7-Katarzyna Szotynska (Poland) 80 points (Détail courses : 4,16,1,14,21,7,13,7,9,)
8-Karin Soderstrom (Sweden) 84 points (Détail courses : 14,4,10,20,4,10,2,27,10,)
9-Paige Railey (United States O) 87 points (Détail courses : 6,BFD ,2,6,DNF ,23,4,2,2,)
10-Solenne Brain (Club Nautique la Pelle) 87 points (Détail courses : 7,3,19,3,27,14,8,32,3,)

RS :X Men

1-Ricardo Santos (Brazil) 22 points (Détail courses : 10,6,4,6,1,1,2,1,)
2-Julien Bontemps (A S P T T Nantes) 27 points (Détail courses : 1,3,7,4,7,12,1,2,)
3-Przemyslaw Miarczynski (Poland) 30 points (Détail courses : 3,4,1,2,6,3,5,6,)
4-Casper Bouman (The Netherlands) 32 points (Détail courses : 1,2,2,1,4,2,41,10,)
5-Dorian Van Rijssel (The Netherlands) 36 points (Détail courses : 2,2,2,1,17,6,15,4,)
6-Byron Kokalanis (Greece) 40 points (Détail courses : 5,4,8,3,2,5,7,7,)
7-Piotr Myszka (Poland) 42 points (Détail courses : 4,5,3,4,3,7,11,8,)
8-Richard Stauffacher (Switzerland) 46 points (Détail courses : 5,1,1,2,15,4,27,9,)
9-Nimrod Mashiah (Israel) 50 points (Détail courses : 3,3,3,3,32,8,20,5,)
10-Antoine Cordonnier (A S P T T Nantes) 51 points (Détail courses : 6,9,7,10,10,27,3,3,)

RS :X Women

1-Zofia Klepacka (Poland) 25 points (Détail courses : 1,1,1,3,8,5,19,3,)
2-Olga Maslivets (Ukraine) 43 points (Détail courses : 2,30,3,6,20,1,1,5,)
3-Jannicke Stalstrom (Norway) 48 points (Détail courses : 7,14,8,2,2,3,27,6,)
4-Charline Picon (Club Nautique de la Tremblade) 49 points (Détail courses : 12,8,7,12,14,4,4,1,)
5-Blanca Mari Manchon (Spain) 56 points (Détail courses : 5,3,DNF ,14,16,7,3,4,)
6-Jessica Crisp (Australia) 56 points (Détail courses : 13,9,6,11,1,2,17,7,)
7-Ling Li (China) 57 points (Détail courses : 11,2,4,5,22,19,12,2,)
8-Flavia Tartaglini (Italy) 65 points (Détail courses : 8,4,5,15,3,11,14,10,)
9-Pauline Perrin (C V Mayenne) 79 points (Détail courses : 9,10,16,8,4,14,18,9,)
10- Marta Hlavaty (Poland) 84 points (Détail courses : 4,16,12,4,11,21,22,8,)

49er

1-Xabier Fernandez / Iker Martinez de (Spain) 50 points (Détail courses : 2,1,3,12,1,14,12,10,1,2,3,)
2-Tim Wadlow / Chris Rast (United States O) 50 points (Détail courses : 5,6,2,2,10,6,4,6,6,3,5,)
3-Federico Alonso / Arturo Nest Alonso (Spain) 58 points (Détail courses : DNF ,5,10,5,6,2,13,3,5,5,2,)
4-Dave Evans / Simon Hiscocks (Great Britain) 69 points (Détail courses : 5,2,2,2,7,4,14,14,11,18,4,)
5-Pietro Sibello / Gianfranco Sibello (Italy) 76 points (Détail courses : 12,12,4,3,9,10,17,12,2,10,1,)
6-André Fonseca / Rodrigo Duarte (Brazil) 76 points (Détail courses : 16,4,8,4,4,13,1,DSQj,8,4,7,)
7-Jonas Warrer / Martin Kirketerp (Denmark) 78 points (Détail courses : 4,5,15,11,3,7,7,8,9,6,9,)
8-Luka Rodion / Leonchuk George (Ukraine) 80 points (Détail courses : 2,14,1,1,2,17,10,4,OCS ,13,8,)
9-Jan Peter Peckolt / Hannes Peckolt (Germany) 81 points (Détail courses : 4,7,14,4,13,15,6,11,3,7,6,)
10-Emmanuel Dyen / Yann Rocherieux (CNVAix les Bains / CN de Sciez) 85 points (Détail courses : 6,7,13,5,14,3,8,9,13,1,10,)

2.4 m

1-Damien Seguin (SNO Nantes) 11 points (Détail courses : 1,3,2,1,1,5,2,1,)
2-Heiko Kroeger (Germany) 20 points (Détail courses : OCS ,2,1,2,2,6,5,2,)
3-Thierry Schmitter (The Netherlands) 20 points (Détail courses : 2,1,3,5,3,4,4,3,)
4-Helena Lucas (Great Britain) 22 points (Détail courses : 3,4,4,3,4,1,3,4,)
5-Jens Als Andersen (Denmark) 36 points (Détail courses : 7,5,7,4,5,3,7,5,)
6-Megan Pascoe (Great Britain) 37 points (Détail courses : 4,6,5,7,7,2,12,6,)
7-Andre Rademaker (The Netherlands) 50 points (Détail courses : 5,OCS ,6,6,6,14,6,7,)
8-Fabrizio Olmi (Italy) 54 points (Détail courses : 9,8,11,8,8,9,1,11,)
9-Mingxue Qi (China) 67 points (Détail courses : 13,11,10,10,11,7,9,9,)
10-Bjornar Erikstad (Norway) 69 points (Détail courses : 10,9,8,OCS ,13,11,8,10,)

SONAR

1-John Robertson (Great Britain) 8 points (Détail courses : 1,3,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,DNC ,)
2-Jostein Stordahl (Norway) 16 points (Détail courses : 3,1,2,2,4,OCS ,2,2,2,2,)
3-Marco Collinetti (Italy) 30 points (Détail courses : 4,2,4,5,6,4,4,4,6,3,)
4-Tao Wang (China) 31 points (Détail courses : DNF ,OCS ,6,6,3,2,3,7,3,1,)
5-Sven Reiger (Austria) 32 points (Détail courses : 5,4,7,7,2,3,5,3,5,5,)
6-Wolfgang Braun (Germany) 37 points (Détail courses : DNF ,6,3,4,5,5,6,6,4,4,)
7-Bruno Jourdren (Club Nautique Carantec) 40 points (Détail courses : 2,5,5,3,7,OCS ,7,5,7,6,)
8-Maxime Stephan (France) 61 points (Détail courses : 6,7,DNF ,DNF ,8,OCS ,8,8,8,7,)