Melbourne,
AUS (Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020) - On Monday, February 10, athletes in the
49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 classes will line up for the last major class
title before the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. 160 teams representing 32
nations will race on the waters of Port Phillip Bay for the 2020 49er,
49erFX, and Nacra 17 World Championship.
“Their
biggest priority will be rolling with how fast the conditions and races
changes here,” he said of the U.S. 49er sailors. “It’s gusty and
shifty, leg by leg the racing is changing. So far it’s shown that there
are opportunities to make gains all the way to the finish line.
Hopefully that works for us.”
US
Sailing’s Olympic Performance Manager and Coach, Sally Barkow (Park
City, Utah) agreed that the conditions will require constant attention
and adaptability this week. “We have now all spent three weeks training
and a long weekend of racing, so Geelong is starting to feel like home
for most of us,” she said.
“We’re
settling into the dynamic wind patterns and going out each day with a
big awareness that it won’t be like yesterday. We have a big focus on
continuing to tackle our list of improvements and execute our strengths
daily as an entire team. We’re looking forward to putting out best
effort forward to compete against the best in the world.”
For the American athletes, this regatta will decide the winners of the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials.
As a nation, the U.S. has earned a spot in the 49erFX and Nacra 17
classes and is first in line for a spot forfeited by another country in
the 49er. When the event concludes, five athletes will have qualified
for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team.
49erFX
athletes and Olympic veterans Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and Anna
Tobias (Pittsburgh, Penn.) lead the trials by four points over Stephanie
Roble (East Troy, Wisc.) and Maggie Shea (Wilmette, Ill.).
In
the Nacra 17 class, Riley Gibbs (Long Beach, Calif.) and Anna Weis
(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) lead by nine points. The pair is looking forward
to taking on the event, especially after delivering an impressive
performance last week at the 2020 Oceania Championships.
Should
the U.S. receive a spot in the Men’s 49er fleet, this regatta will
likewise serve as an internal qualifier for the U.S. athletes. Nevin
Snow (San Diego, Calif.) and Dane Wilson (Ojai, Calif.) had a strong
showing at the 2019 Worlds and lead by five points over Ian Barrows
(Miami, Fla.) and Mitchell Kiss (Holland, Mich.).
The
first three days in Geelong will feature a qualifying series for the
skiff athletes. The second three days for the skiffs constitute their
final series while the Nacra 17s will race a single series. Racing is
scheduled to begin at 10:55 a.m., local time.
Laser World Championships
Across
the bay at the 2020 Laser World Championships, Sandringham Yacht Club
will host the Men’s Laser fleet. Representing the U.S., Charlie
Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.), Chris Barnard (Newport Beach,
Calif.), and Leo Boucher (West River, Md.).
The
U.S. has also confirmed a spot on the starting line of the Laser fleet
at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Buckingham currently leads the domestic Laser
trials by 18 finishing positions over Barnard.
According
to Buckingham's coach, Mark Ivey (San Francisco, Calif.), rather than
focusing on the pressure of confirming his spot on Team USA for the
Tokyo Games, he is working to have a consistent approach through the
week. “Our focus is to keep mental and physical strength for the entire
week of sailing against an elite international field,” said Ivey.
He
also noted the constantly changing conditions they’re expecting this
week, “Weather changes every few hours here in Melbourne so it’s
difficult to predict too far out. Our first start is 2:00 p.m. each day,
which should be in the heart of the build period for the southerly
wind. That also usually brings great waves for downwind surfing.”
The
131 Laser athletes hailing from 45 countries will begin racing on
Tuesday, February 11. Each day, racing in Sandringham will begin at 2:00
p.m., local time.
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