Percy and Simpson pull the plug

Second significant Skandia Team GBR retirement from Perth 2011

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson have retired from the Perth 2011 Sailing World Championships following Percy’s back injury sustained yesterday.

The Star class defending World Champions and Olympic gold medallists were leading the overall standings when injury struck during Tuesday’s first race.

“We’re really disappointed to have to pull out,” said Percy, who has already been selected to compete the London 2012 Games with Simpson. “We were having a great regatta, were sailing well and were really enjoying the racing. We haven’t done a lot of racing recently so it was great to be racing together with Bart again, and to be racing as well as we were.

“It’s certainly frustrating, but it’s more important for me to concentrate on getting fixed and fit again so that this doesn’t happen when it really matters at the Games next summer.”