French double

RS:X medals decided at the ISAF Sailing Worlds in Santander

There was double French gold in the RS:X fleets at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships as Julien Bontemps claimed the men's title and Charline Picon picked up the women's.

Picon had sealed Women's RS:X gold going into the Medal Race, while Bontemps had a comfortable lead going into the Men's, but still needed a solid race to seal the deal.

With tough sailing conditions on the Duna Course that saw winds gust up to 25 knots there was plenty of shuffles in the pack as the action played out in front of a capacity crowd and a worldwide TV audience.

Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL) took silver and Thomas Goyard (FRA) took bronze in the men's fleet. The home crowd had something to cheer about in the women's division as Spain's Marina Alabau sealed silver ahead of Maayan Davidovich (ISR).

Men's RS:X

It was a difficult start with the fleet split up into two groups with half lining up on starboard and the others crossing behind on port.

On the Duna course in front of the crowds, a wind shift right before the race start forced three sailors. The individual recall flag prompted medal contender Piotr Myszka (POL) to come back and restart but it was clear that others were also over the line at the start and had failed to return as the flag remained on the race committee boat.

Greece's Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) rounded the windward mark first, followed by Louis Giard (FRA) and Le Coq (FRA) but the real battle was playing out behind the trio as all three were scored OCS.

With the race leaders out of contention, overnight leader Julien Bontemps (FRA) looking increasingly assured of the gold medal. With the pack bunched up together, the left hand side of the course was the place to go upwind and downwind. With choppy waves rebounding back off the Dune, unpredictability at the bottom gate caused Kokkalanis, Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED) and Kiran Badloe (NED) to lose control and drop their sails in the water to oos and aahs from the crowd.

On the final lap Thomas Goyard (FRA) showed impressive speed, climbing through the fleet to take the bullet and with it the bronze medal. An outstanding achievement for the young Frenchman whose best achievement in advance of Santander was a sixth at the recent RS:X European Championship in Alcati, Turkey. After racing he was super happy and couldn't believe he won a medal.

Bontemps finished behind his compatriot and sealed his second RS:X world title and the celebrations commenced.

Miarczynski sailed conservatively throughout the race to protect his podium position. He came through in third to pick up silver and his fourth RS:X world championship medal.

Badloe, Dempsey and Van Rijsselberge finished fourth to sixth respectively.

Myszka walked away frustrated after he missed out on bronze following a pre-race equipment inspection penalty of two points. He ended up tied on 60 points with Goyard and lost out on bronze after he finished behind the young Frenchman in the Medal Race.

Of the start Britain's Nick Dempsey explained: “The wind shifted as we all approached the line and all of a sudden we couldn’t cross. I was closest to the pin so I couldn’t actually get over the start line. The three above me had to go early to actually get over so it was full on from the start. I approached the windward mark in last and I thought ‘oh wow - this is going to be a long race’, but I stuck with it and kept my head down and took two of the best in the world.

“It is normally us three racing at the front so it was strange us three racing out at the back, but it was good fun racing there and it was fortunate that those top three were over the line.”

Dempsey’s hopes of a podium finish had all but ended after a high-scoring day in Wednesday’s fleet racing, and although he was disappointed overall, he feels he had achieved his target for the week and is feeling positive that his campaign has the right ingredients for success in Rio which remains his ultimate goal.

“I enjoy winning and I do want to win, but the reality is that I came here wanting to finish top five and top five is good. I reached my target and the areas I didn’t perform in are very easily sorted out, so I suppose it’s a good finish to what has been a tough week.” the Olympic silver medallist concluded.

Women's RS:X

The Women's RS:X started after the Men's fleet in a comfortable but puffy 15-18 knots. The start was slightly delayed due to the big ship leaving the harbour.

There was o surprise on the start as all the girls started on starboard with a brilliant one for Flavia Tartaglini (ITA), Bryony Shaw (GBR) and Jiahui Wu (CHN). Charline Picon (FRA) had the medal in her pocket so didn't take any risks and started a few seconds after the starting gun. Despite being a late starter Picon's incredible speed and very smart sailing through the shifts saw her win the Medal Race.

Tartaglini had quite comfortable lead over Wu but a few late tacks dropped her to fifth at the finish and sixth overall. Santander 2014 didn't come easy for Tartaglini who looks forward to a good rest and proper winter training.

Wu kept her second till the finish and jumped to fourth overall. Wu, who finished second at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres this year, is aiming for a medal at the 2014 Worlds as she is pretty happy with her current speed.

The fight for silver between Maayan Davidovich (ISR) and Marina Alabau (ESP) played out to the finish with Alabau pipping the Israeli at the finish to take silver. The home nation sailor had an extremely good second half of the event and feels she is on the right track to reach the heights of Picon who has set very high standards.

Davidovich who has bronze from the 2012 RS:X Worlds felt quite comfortable and relaxed during the event and is happy with her sailing and is looking forward to improving the colour of her medal next time out.

Britain's Bryony Shaw started her medal race day in fourth overall and within reach of the podium spots. She sailed a positive first half of the race, moving up to second after the second lap of three and closing in on the medals.

But too tight a tack at the final windward mark left her fighting back through the pack, and an attacking move at the last downwind gate left her vulnerable and out of phase with the wind shifts. She dropped to fifth in the race – her finishing position overall and outside of the podium spots.

"I'm pretty sad, gutted,” said a visibly upset Shaw as she returned to shore. “I raced really well in that race and I don't know why I haven't been racing like that all week. Just frustrating trying to find the speed and I found it today, but it's all a bit late and then just mistakes creeping in. Silly, amateur mistakes.

“I just knew I needed to sail a good race and keep myself in the game. I had really nice pressure on the board and I felt like I was in a really good place and groove. [It was] just a silly mistake to give myself such a tight tack around the windward mark - I could have given myself more room and made it a bit safer.

“For the first half of that race I was in it to potentially medal. Ending up fifth in this regatta - it's a fantastic fleet of girls. I gave myself a chance and unfortunately I blew it today,” said the frustrated Shaw, who won her first World Championship medal – a silver – in 2013.

Izzy Hamilton was also in RS:X medal race action for the British Sailing Team, and was so close to improving on her overall ninth place heading into the day, but for a wipeout on the final gybe of the final leg of the race. She finished eighth in the race, and ninth overall – just one point from eighth.