Go Valencia 2016

Update 6:55pm Central European Time: So close yet so far.... Madrid and Rio de Janeiro were the two finalists, after the swift elimination of Chicago and Tokyo, but the Cariocas had the last word. As a result, sailors around the world aspiring to an Olympic medal in 2016 must pick up a Portuguese dictionary and start studying the winds off Copacabana. Who knows, it might be Valencia 2020 but I doubt it.....

In a couple of hours, the International Olympic Committee will vote on the host city of the 2016 Olympics. Why do we care at Valencia Sailing? Because Valencia will be the sailing venue, if of course Madrid's candidature prevails. So, Go Valencia 2016!!.

Members start voting at 5:10pm Central European Time and voting will be finished by 5:40pm. The announcement ceremony is scheduled from 6:30 to 7pm.

For all those interested, you can watch live here the candidate city presentations as well as the voting procedure. Just click on the "Play" button. Be patient, the live streaming might be slow to start due to heavy traffic.

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson win Britain's fourth sailing gold in Star medal race

[Source: ISAF] British crew Iain PERCY and Andrew SIMPSON won the final gold medal of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition after a thrilling finish to Thursday's Star Medal Race.

Iain PERCY adds Star success to the gold medal he won in the single-handed Finn dinghy in Sydney eight years ago, whilst Andrew SIMPSON wins gold in his first appearance at the Games. Brazilians Robert SCHEIDT and Bruno PRADA (BRA) won the silver medal with the Swedish crew of Fredrik LOOF and Anders EKSTROM, who held the overall lead going into the Medal Race, taking bronze.

“This win is far more sweet than the gold in the Finn,” said PERCY. “Six months ago, we knew we could do. It’s just that there was so much work involved and there are so many talents in the class. We always knew we were contenders, but only contenders. Every morning we wake up thinking about sailing and nothing else.”

The Star Medal Race was perfectly poised with just two points separating the leading Swedish and British crews and SCHEIDT and PRADA third overall, 14 points back and ready to pounce on any mistakes. With these six crews sharing three gold, one silver and one bronze medal between them, it was a genuine battle of the heavyweights.

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson sail to Olympic gold in Star. Qingdao, 22 August 2208. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

A southeasterly on 12 knots and big seas set the scene for a thrilling race. PERCY and SIMPSON just had to beat LOOF and EKSTROM and immediately put the pressure on their rivals. After a bout of pre-start manoeuvring, the Brits had the Swedes pinned outside the Committee boat and gained an advantage off the start, but LOOF and EKSTROM fought back strongly up the right of the first beat, rounding the top mark just ahead of the Brits. Meanwhile SCHEIDT and PRADA had got off to a flier at the pin end and pulled out an early lead. Sweden and Britain never strayed far from one another during the battle downwind, with LOOF and EKSTROM initially appearing to hold the advantage. However, PERCY and SIMPSON caught a good puff to surge ahead and rounded mark two in second with the Swedes and France’s ROHART and RAMBEAU just a few seconds further back.

On the second upwind Britain held the advantage over Sweden but these two teams appeared isolated on the left of the course, whilst the rest of the fleet made gains on the right. Could SCHEIDT and PRADA sneak in? If they won and PERCY and SIMPSON finished seventh and LOOF and EKSTROM eighth, gold would go to Brazil.

Halfway through, the race appeared wide open. “Everything was changing. Boat places were switched rapidly and we went from left to right. We just had to keep our eyes on the main guys and just fight, fight and fight,” PERCY said.

At this stage World Champions Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ and Dominik ZYCKI (POL) came into the frame, making big gains on the right of the course along with Flavio MARAZZI and Enrico DE MARIA (SUI) . They led into the final run with SCHEIDT and PRADA now down in fifth, PERCY and SIMPSON in seventh whilst the Swedes had dropped to last. The Brazilians and Brits again showed their speed downwind and both made up places on the run, whilst the Swedes continued to struggle at the back. At the front KUSZNIEREWICZ and ZYCKI took the bullet followed by the Swiss, SCHEIDT and PRADA pulled back two places to come in third, with Marc PICKEL and Ingo BORKOWSKI (GER) fourth and then the new Olympic Champions PERCY and SIMPSON in fifth.

“At first tears burst into my eyes. I was just so shocked. After so many years of hardship, to achieve this, here with your best friend is the best feeling in the world,” SIMPSON said.

LOOF and EKSTROM battled with ROHART and RAMBEAU down the final run but the French just held off their challenge, finishing one second ahead of the Swedes to give the silver medal to Brazil.

Spain's Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz win gold in Tornado class

[Source: ISAF] Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ won gold for Spain after a superb performance in today's Tornado Medal Race.

The Spanish duo finished fourth in today’s Medal Race to secure their place on the top step of the podium. Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ (ESP) went into the race with a three point lead over Australians Darren BUNDOCK and Glenn ASHBY and quickly took the initiative by blasting off the starting line to establish an early lead. The Spaniards are at their best in moderate to strong wind conditions and were superb in today’s 12-15 knot breeze with big waves. They sailed a near-flawless race and always held the upper hand in the battle against the Aussies, eventually crossing the finishing line one place ahead of them in fourth to win Olympic gold. BUNDOCK and ASHBY won the silver medal with Santiago LANGE and Carlos ESPINOLA taking the bronze.

Since finishing eighth at the Athens ECHAVARRI and PAZ have taken their Tornado sailing to another level. Their breakthrough season was 2005, where they won both World and European titles and went on to be crowned ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year that November. The pair won their second World title together last year, although ECHAVARRI admitted Olympic success was what they really craved, “After 10 years of training we finally got our first Olympic medal. We feel like we’re the luckiest ones here. We’ve been performing very well together as a team. We’ve been winning championships and regattas, but this is the most important win of them all.”

BUNDOCK and ASHBY won the silver medal after a poor start and first beat put them at a big disadvantage from which they never really recovered. It is BUNDOCK’s second Olympic silver medal, he also won one in Sydney with John FORBES, and the Aussie admitted to being slightly deflated, “We are a little disappointed. We are here for the gold but we missed it because we stuffed up at the start and we parked. We’re still extremely happy about the silver,” said BUNDOCK.

Santiago LANGE and Carlos ESPINOLA of Argentina finished sixth in the Medal Race, good enough to secure the final podium spot and repeat their bronze medal success of Athens.

Since the very beginning of the Tornado Opening Series the Spanish crew has led at the end of every day, but had the Australian crew of BUNDOCK and ASHBY hard on their tails. It was no surprise to see these two crews dominating at the top of the leaderboard; between them they have won the past four Tornado World Championships and occupy positions #1 (BUNDOCK and ASHBY) and #2 (ECHAVARRI and PAZ) on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings. Ahead of today’s Medal Race the Spaniards held a narrow three-point advantage and ECHAVARRI admitted the nerves were jangling, “The conditions were really difficult today and we were quite nervous when we were out there. We just reminded ourselves to concentrate more on the sailing and treat it like any other race.”

The Spaniards didn’t show any signs of nerves as the blasted off the starting line in today’s race, dominating the first beat to lead at the top mark. In contrast the Aussies fluffed their start and headed off on their own to the left of the course, a costly decision which left them ninth at the top mark. “We could see all the breeze was over there,” explained ASHBY, “but we made up ground. We were really pumped and just keep hanging in.”

The British team of Leigh MCMILLAN and Will HOWDEN hooked into a big puff to surge into the lead on the downwind leg and never looked back from there. Meanwhile the Spaniards looked well in control, sticking to safe lines down the middle of the course and keeping a close eye on their Australian rivals.

BUNDOCK and ASHBY were beginning to make up ground and following a capsize by the Germans Johannes POLGAR and Florian SPALTEHOLZ the Aussies were up into fifth place by the downwind mark. However the Australians were somewhat hampered by a broken mast swivel and in front of them ECHAVARRI and PAZ were controlling the race. Although the British, Canadian and Dutch boats had all pulled ahead of them, it was the Australians the Spanish were racing and they never gave them a hint of a chance down the final run. MCMILLAN and HOWDEN took the gun to win the Medal Race but the cheers of 'ole' were for ECHAVARRI and PAZ as they crossed the line in fourth to win gold. BUNDOCK and ASHBY came in fifth to secure the silver medal, whilst LANGE and ESPINOLA followed in sixth to take bronze.

Tom Ashley wins the Olympic gold medal in men's RS:X

[Source: ISAF] Tom ASHLEY won the Olympic gold medal for New Zealand in today's Medal Race of the Men's Windsurfer event at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Tom ASHLEY, also the reigning World Champion, sailed a near flawless Medal Race, finishing third to win a tight three-way contest for gold. It is the first Olympic gold medal in sailing won by New Zealand since Barbara KENDALL’s victory in the Women’s Windsurfer event at Barcelona 1992. Frenchman Julien BONTEMPS finished one place behind ASHLEY in today’s Medal Race to take silver, whilst Israel’s Shahar ZUBARI edged out Nick DEMPSEY (GBR) to win bronze, winning the first medal for Israel at this Olympic Games.

Since finishing 10th in Athens as a 20 year old, ASHLEY has matured into a world beater on the windsurfing scene, a status he confirmed earlier this year with World Championship success on his home waters in New Zealand. In a fleet in which many competitors have a big performance differential in different wind conditions, his all-round ability has proved crucial this week and brought him the Olympic gold medal.

New Zealand's Tom Ashely wins the gold medal in RS:X. Qingdao, 20 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

"I've done it! It's the most incredible feeling and I can't begin to tell you how I feel right now," ASHLEY commented on returning to the boat park. ASHLEY, who is coached by Grant BECK (NZL), an instrumental figure the three previous medal wins of KENDALL, added that his Olympic success is the end of a long road, "I’ve been working toward this for so many years. It was an insanely tough Medal Race," he said. "The weather had a little bit of everything. I tried to sail as consistently as I could."

Yesterday ASHLEY had had his worst race of the regatta after getting caught on the wrong side of a big wind shift and finishing down in the 32nd place. That had dropped him from first to third overall, although he was still just one point off the lead and knew that if he could finish ahead of BONTEMPS and DEMPSEY today and not let ZUBARI get too far ahead, the gold medal would be his.

In a 7 knot southeasterly breeze, Hong Kong’s light wind specialist King Yin CHAN lead around the course with ASHLEY close behind him. ZUBARI didn’t get the best of start but revelled in the lighter shifty airs and flat seas - sailing conditions he loves. The young star, showed why he got the better of Athens gold medallist Gal FRIDMAN (ISR) in the Israeli selection trials for Qingdao, overhauling ASHLEY to finish second in the Medal Race and secure the bronze medal as DEMPSEY struggled further back.

"I feel so happy. I‘m only 20 and I feel like a superstar. I was lucky to have the wind on my side today. When I finished, I counted back and realised I had won bronze. I was crazy with joy," ZUBARI said.

BONTEMPS, who held the overall lead going into the race, didn’t get the best of starts, but unlike ZUBARI failed to pull through the fleet. However by maintaining a steady mid-fleet position and eventually crossing the line in fourth place he ensured the silver medal was his.

DEMPSEY meanwhile never recovered from a poor start and eventually crossing the line in seventh, dropping from second overall to fourth and out of the medals.

Jian Yin delivers China's first ever Olympic sailing gold

[Source: ISAF] Windsurfer Jian YIN won China's first ever Olympic gold medal in sailing after a nail-biting finish to today's Women's RS:X Medal Race.
Heading into the slalom finish Jian YIN was lying in fifth place but staged a magnificent comeback to finish third and secure the gold medal. Alessandra SENSINI of Italy won the Medal Race to take the silver medal, becoming the first female sailor to ever win fourth Olympic medals, whilst Great Britain’s Bryony SHAW won bronze.

YIN won by the narrowest of margins, finishing just one point ahead of SENSINI to add the Olympic gold medal the silver she won in Athens four years ago. SENSINI knew she had to put two boats between her and YIN to take the title and put in a true champion’s performance by winning the Medal Race, but with YIN in third place it was not quite enough for gold. SENSINI, gold medallist in Sydney 2000 and winner of Olympic bronze medals in 1996 and 2004, completed her set of Olympic medals by winning silver, in so doing becoming the first female sailor to ever win four Olympic medals. SHAW sailed a great Medal Race and was never out of the leading positions. She crossed the line in second place, securing the Olympic bronze medal, Great Britain’s fifth medal of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Jian Yin, China's first ever Olympic gold medallist in sailing. Qingdao, 20 August 2008. Photo copyright Clive Mason/Getty Images

Expectation hung in the air today in Qingdao with thousands of Chinese spectators packing the spectator breakwater at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in the hope of watching history in the making. The tension was obvious at the start with a general recall signalled as the 10-boat fleet pushed the line. The fleet got away cleanly in the second start in a bright sunshine and an 8 knot breeze from the southeast, which dropped slightly during the race and shifted around to the south.

World #1 Marina ALABAU (ESP) took the early lead, closely followed by SHAW, SENSINI and YIN, and these four fought it out at the front for the rest of the race. SENSINI had a great final downwind to lead going into the slalom with ALABAU and SHAW close together in second and third. Olga MASLIVETS (UKR) had also sailed strongly on the second downwind to move ahead of YIN. At this stage, with SENSINI looking certain to win the race, YIN had to make up at least two places to win gold.

Over the three legs of the slalom course the Chinese sailor found a gold medal winning surge. She immediately passed MASLIVETS and began to pull in third-place ALABAU. At the same time, SHAW pulled ahead of ALABAU, the Spaniard threw in a tack and YIN seized her opportunity, reeling in her rival to huge cheers from the breakwater. SENSINI went on to cross the line first, SHAW followed in second and then YIN came over in third place assured of gold. A scrum of boats immediately surrounded her as the host nation celebrated their first ever Olympic gold medal in sailing.

Gold for Britain and USA with Lasers centre stage in Qingdao

[Source: ISAF] Paul GOODISON won Great Britain's fourth medal and Anna TUNNCLIFFE won gold for the USA on day 11 of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

The host nation China also won their first medal of the Olympic Sailing Competition, with other podium places going to Slovenia, Italy and Lithuanian. With four events to go, 14 different nations have now won medals. With three golds and a silver, Great Britain are well ahead at the top of the medal standings.

The focus in Qingdao today was on the two One Person Dinghy fleets, with the Laser and Laser Radial Medal Races on course area A. Paul GOODISON (GBR) took an 18-point lead into the Laser Medal Race and ensured the gold medal was his by match racing his only rival Rasmus MYRGREN (SWE) to the back of the fleet. Unfortunately for MYGREN that cost him any hope of a medal and Slovenia’s Vasilij ZBOGAR took full advantage, finishing second in the Medal Race to win silver. Diego ROMERO of Italy won the battle for bronze.

The standings were much closer going into the Laser Radial Medal Race, with Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA) just seven points ahead of Gintare VOLUNGEVICIUTE (LTU). When the American rounded the downwind mark in ninth place it looked as if Lithuania were on their way to gold. However TUNNICLIFFE showed why she’s the world #1 ranked skipper, spotting a big shift to the left of the course and staging a superb comeback to finish the Medal Race in second place and win gold. VOLUNGEVICIUTE took silver, winning Lithuania’s first ever Olympic medal in sailing, with China’s star Lijia XU taking the bronze.

Tomorrow it’s windsurfing’s turn to take the spotlight with the Men’s and Women’s RS:X Medal Races on course area A. Both RS:X fleets completed the final race of their Opening Series in light westerly winds earlier today. It was a great day for the Chinese windsurfers who scored bullets in both fleets. That means Jian YIN (CHN) takes a five-point lead over triple Olympic medallist Alessandra SENSINI (ITA) into tomorrow’s Medal Race, with Bryony SHAW (GBR) just three points further back. It’s also set to be a three-horse race in the men’s Medal Race, but the standings are even closer. Julien BONTEMPS (FRA), Nick DEMPSEY (GBR) and Tom ASHLEY (NZL) are separated by just one point with light wind specialist Shahar ZUBARI (ISR) just ten points off the lead in fourth.

The Tornado and Star fleets have their final three races of their Opening Series rescheduled for tomorrow after failing to complete any races today as the wind died out on course area A.

Women's 470 pair Pechichi and Parkinson win Australia's second gold

[Source: ISAF] Young guns Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON completed an Australian double in the 470 fleets by securing the gold medal in the Women's Two Person Dinghy event at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON, just 22 and 21 years old respectively, are crowned Olympic Champions, winning Australia’s second gold medal of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition. Their victory also cementis the legendary status of Australian Head Coach Victor Kovalenko, aka the ‘Medal Maker’, who has now coached teams to medals in both men's and women's 470 events at the 1996, 2000 and 2008 Olympic Games. Marcelien DE KONING and Lobke BERKHOUT, World Champions in 2005, 2006 and 2007, win ther silver medal with Fernanda OLIVEIRA and Isabel SWAN of Brazil sailing to regatta of their life culminating with a victory in the Medal Race to secure bronze.

After yesterday’s stormy conditions, brighter skies and less intense westerly breezes around 9 knots provided near perfect conditions for today’s racing. RECHICHI and PARKINSON took an 18-point lead into the Medal Race with the Dutch crew of DE KONING and BERKHOUT the only team that could take the gold medal away from them. To do that the Dutch had to finish first and the Aussies last and to avoid that situation the Australians immediately set about match racing their rivals, forcing them to sail in dirty air and dragging both teams right to the back of the fleet.

The Australian strategy was working perfectly, but as the Dutch rounded the top mark in last place they appeared to be seriously in danger of losing their silver medal. At the front of the race the Brazilians were pushing hard against the Israel team of Nike KORNECKI and Vered BUSKILA and with eight boats between Brazil and the Dutch, OLIVEIRA and SWAN were provisional in the silver medal spot. With the gold medal now looking assured the Aussies loosened their grips on the Dutch and by the time they had approached the second mark DE KONING and BERKHOUT had pulled ahead slightly and started to reel the rest of the fleet back in. Their cause was helped slightly by a penalty on the Spanish boat for an incident at the final upwind mark and by the final leg the Dutch were comfortably mid-fleet.

Brazil went on to win the race ahead of the Israelis, whose second place secured them fourth overall. DE KONING and BERKHOUT crossed in fifth to take silver with the Aussies coming in ninth but assured of gold.

Incredible 49er Medal Race But Results Subject To Jury Hearing

[Source: ISAF] Results from the incredible 49er Medal Race held today at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition are still unofficial with the Jury reconvening on Monday morning to decide on a protest lodged after the provisional gold medallists sailed the race in another team's boat.

An enthralling Medal Race provided a dramatic finish to an incredibly day at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center.

Jonas WARRER and Martin IBSEN of Denmark are provisionally in the gold medal position, but could be disqualified from the Medal Race and therefore fall back to fourth overall. The Danish team were protested by the Race Committee for sailing the Medal Race in a boat borrowed from the Croatian crew (who were not competing in the Medal Race) after the mast on the Danish 49er snapped shortly before the start. 2004 Olympic gold medallists Iker MARTINEZ and Xabier FERNANDEZ (ESP) won the Medal Race and are provisionally in the silver medal position, with the German brothers Jan-Peter PECKOLT and Hannes PECKOLT provisionally winning bronze. Italians Pietro SIBELLO and Gianfranco SIBELLO lie fourth overall in the provisional results.

John DOERR, chair of the Jury panel that heard the protest, said the case was complicated, involving a series of points in the Sailing Instructions, Notice of Race and Measurement Regulations (you can read them all in our Protests & Communications section here). He added that the decision to reconvene tomorrow morning was made to ensure all the facts could be considered fully and the correct decision could be made. Until the outcome of the Protest hearing, the Medal Race results and overall results in the Skiff - 49er event remain unofficial.

Earlier on Sunday, an enthralling Medal Race provided a dramatic finish to an incredibly day at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. The Danish crew of WARRER and IBSEN went into the race as favourites with an 11-point overall lead on the Italian SIBELLO brothers. Australian young guns and reigning World Champions Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ben AUSTIN lay in third overall, three points further back and just one ahead of MARTINEZ and FERNANDEZ and German brothers Jan-Peter and Hannes PECKOLT.

Winds of around 15 knots and gusting much more and heavy rain had swept across Fushan Bay all day along and the weather worsened as the 49er Medal Race got underway just before the time limit at 16:30. It was to prove a sensational race, with four different crews in the gold medal position at one stage or the other.

The drama began before the race even got underway as WARRER and IBSEN broke their mast whilst out on the water waiting for the race to start. In one small moment, the hopes of a gold medal appeared to have vanished completed. In a desperate attempt to compete in the race they returned to the marina and hastily rigged the Croatian boat (which had not qualified for the Medal Race).

The 49er Medal Race got underway in very gusty conditions with big waves and heavy rain causing low visibility. Almost instantly their was carnage out on the race area. The Spanish gold medallists from Athens, who where lying fourth overall going into the Medal Race but now had a great shot at gold with the Danes seemingly out of contention, capsized just a few seconds after the gun had sounded and were straight away relegated to the back of the fleet. The French team led up the first beat, whilst the Danes made it to the start in their borrowed Croatian boat just 4 seconds before the time limit ran out.

France rounded the top mark in first followed by the Austrians and then the Italian brothers, which at this stage put the Italians in the gold medal position. Big swells and gusts made for incredibly tough conditions on the downwind legs and it didn’t take long before the fleet was left decimated. The French were the first to capsize followed by the Germans, putting the Austrians into the lead with the Italians second and the hotshot young Aussies in third. At this point it looked like being a straight shoot out for gold between Australia and Italy. The Italians held the upper hand on the overall scores and the Aussies had to put at least one boat between them and the SIBELLO brothers to claim gold.

On the final upwind WILMOT and PAGE hit the accelerator and pulled ahead of the Italians with the Austrians next on their hit list. But Austria capsized, crucially robbing the Aussies of the potential one-boat gap they needed between them and the Italians. Australia rounded the final upwind mark in first, 20 seconds ahead of the Italians who still appeared to be in the gold medal position. But suddenly everything changed as the SIBELLO brothers capsized letting the Spanish, Germany and British teams past and leaving the Australians flying down the run on their way to victory. Now though it was the Aussies turn to flip the boat.

All of a sudden the fast finishing Spanish were in the lead and across the line first to win the Medal Race. Germany followed in second, Great Britain were third and the Italians fourth. At this stage the drama had swung full circle and now it was the Spanish who were looking set to win gold, with the Germans winning silver just ahead of the Italians. After several more capsizes the Australians eventually finished in sixth place out of the medal places.

The only question mark that now remained was the Danes. Sailing a boat they were completely unfamiliar with and starting way behind the rest of the fleet they had nevertheless picked up two places with the American and Austrian boats failing to finish the race. If they could cross the line in eighth or better, they would be in the gold medal position. With the Brazilians struggling on the final run the Danes appeared to heading for seventh, but capsized near the finish. Eventually they righted the Croatian boat, crossed the line within the time limit and in seventh place. With the Danes so far behind and visibility very low they had now idea of the other race positions and wild celebrations followed as the overall race scores were displayed on the committee boat.

However, there was one final twist in the tale as the Race Committee protested the Danes for their change of boat. The protest hearing ran late into the night, with the jury decision finally released shortly after midnight.

Ben Ainslie wins third Olympic gold in Finn medal race

[Source: ISAF] Ben AINSLIE of Great Britain joined the list of sailing greats today as he raced to victory the Finn Medal Race at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center to win his third consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Ben AINSLIE (GBR) led today’s Finn Medal Race from start to finish in big seas and a strong 15 knot breeze. AINSLIE’s Olympic tally of one silver and three gold medals put him alongside Valentin MANKIN and Jochen SCHUEMANN. Only Danish sailing legend Paul ELVSTRÖM has won more Olympic gold medals, with the four he won between 1948 and 1960.

Ben Ainslie sails to gold medal in Finn. Qingdao, 17 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

In big seas and a strong 15 knot breeze AINSLIE led at the top mark and controlled the race from there, extending on the upwind legs to take victory and the Olympic gold medal in style.

American Zach RAILEY finished sixth in the Medal Race, good enough to ensure he held on to the Olympic silver medal. Guillaume FLORENT of France won the battle for the bronze medal, finishing fourth in the Medal Race, crucially three places ahead of his bronze medal rival Daniel BIRGMARK of Sweden.

Great Britain Win Yngling Gold in First Ever Olympic Medal Race

[Source: ISAF] British sailors Sarah AYTON, Sarah WEBB and Pippa WILSON were crowned Olympic Champions in the Women's Keelboat event after winning the first ever Medal Race held at the Olympic Games.

The British team led around the course on a stormy Fushan Bay to win the first ever Medal Race held at the Olympic Games and with it the gold medal. The Dutch team of Mandy MULDER, Annemieke BES and Merel WITTEVEEN won silver, with Sofia Sofia BEKATOROU, Sofia PAPADOPOULOU and Virginia KRAVARIOTI of Greece claiming the bronze.

For AYTON and WEBB, 28 and 31 years old respectively, it is a second Olympic gold medal, after winning the same event in Athens four years ago with Shirley ROBERTSON at the helm. Following that triumph the team split, with AYTON taking over helming duties at the back of the boat. WILSON, a star from the British youth ranks, joined team team at the start of 2007 and since then they have risen to new heights winning back-to-back World Championship titles and a host of other major events. AYTON says today's victory was confirmation of the team's belief in themselves. "When we crossed the line, the three of us just looked at one another. I can't describe the feeling, because you just know that you're the best in the whole world at what you do," she said.

Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson of Great Britain celebrate winning the Olympic gold medal in today's Medal Race. Qingdao, 17 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

"It has been a fantastic journey. It is so exciting with a little relief and, of course, loads of joy," added WEBB.

Following that triumph the team split, with AYTON taking over helming duties at the back of the boat. WILSON is the youngest member of the team aged 22. A star from the British youth ranks, she joined up with AYTON and WEBB at the start of 2007 and since then the team has risen to new heights. In 2007 they won the ISAF Sailing World Championships and won gold at the Worlds again this year.

In today’s Medal Race, conditions were completely at odds with the past seven days in Qingdao. In place of light breezes, an easterly wind of 15 knots, heavy rain and large waves made for an incredibly testing finale. However, AYTON explained they were conditions very familiar to the Brits, "The conditions today were quite Great Britain: big wind and big rain! We were quite prepared," she said.

Both British and Dutch, who were just one point behind in the overall standings, got away strongly at the start with the Dutch just holding the advantage. However, it was AYTON, WEBB and WILSON who led at the top mark although their rivals were just a fraction behind. The Brits pulled away downwind, lost one place to the German team on the second upwind but again showed their downwind speed to move back into first on the final run. They crossed the finishing line first, just seven seconds ahead of the Germans to win the first ever Medal Race held at the Olympic Games and in so doing claim the first Olympic gold medal in sailing of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

MULDER, BES and WITTEVEEN were an unknown quantity coming into the Games as the unique Dutch selection process of rotating nine crew around three different boats meant the final team for Qingdao had only been formed a few weeks earlier. They sailed superbly over the past ten days in Qingdao, but we unable to match the British crew in today’s heavier weather conditions.

The Greek team were ecstatic with their bronze medal success. Although they had BEKATOROU, gold medallist at the Athens Games in the two-person 470 dinghy, at the helm their inexperience in the boat meant they were not considered amongst the medal favourites coming into the Games. “We feel great for the 10 million Greeks back home. It's wonderful,” BEKATOROU exclaimed.

Germany finished second in the race, but it was the Greek team in third who were celebrating as their position ensured they had won the Olympic bronze medal. Australia came in fourth followed by the Netherlands, with fifth place good enough for them to secure Olympic silver.

Medal Races Postponed But Gold Beckons For Australia

[Source: ISAF] Ben AINSLIE (GBR) looked to be well on his way to a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Qingdao today until the Finn Medal Race was abandoned halfway through as the wind died on course area A. Although the fleet waited on the water throughout the afternoon, the conditions failed to improve and the Finns finally returned to the marina shortly before 16:00. The Finn and Yngling Medal Races will now be rescheduled for tomorrow, along with the 49er Medal Race.

The Yngling Medal Race is scheduled for 13:00 local time, the Finn for 14:00 and the 49er for 15:00.

With the Medal Races postponed, the first gold medallists of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition will not now be known until tomorrow. With British sailors leading both Finn and Yngling fleets it was all set to be a bumper day for Team GBR, but instead it will be the Australians and their ‘medal-maker’ 470 coach Victor KOVALENKO who will be celebrating this evening.

Australian 470 duo Nathan WILMOT and Malcolm PAGE just have to make a genuine attempt to start, compete in and finish Monday's Medal Race to win gold in the Men's Two Person Dinghy event. The Aussie pair, who came to Qingdao with "unfinished business" after a disappointing results in Athens (read the full story here), take an unassailable 22-point lead into the Medal Race after their closest rivals wilted in today’s three races.

All Nathan Wilmot and Malcom Page have to do in order to win the gold medal is start the race, sail and cross the finish line. Qingdao, 16 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

The Australian women's team of Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON, aged just 22 and 21 years respectively, are also within touching distance of Olympic gold. They maintained their consistent scorecard with third and second place finishes in today’s two Women’s 470 races. Crucially their closest rivals all struggled in the very light and shifty conditions of race 10 giving the Aussies an 18-point buffer going into the Women’s 470 Medal Race on Monday. As long as they finish ninth or better amongst the ten boats competing the Medal Race, they will secure the Olympic gold medal in the Women's Two Person Dinghy event.

Today’s results are subject to any Protests, you can stay updated at our Protests & Communications section here.

Australia also had a good day in the Tornado, with reigning World Champions and world #1 crew Darren BUNDOCK and Glenn ASHBY climbing up three places to second overall. Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ BLANCO of Spain maintain the overall lead with a sixth place and a bullet in today’s races.

However, it wasn’t a success story across the board in the Australian camp today. Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ben AUSTIN have dropped from first to third overall in the 49er after their worst day of the Opening Series to date. The Danish team of Jonas WARRER and Martin Kirketerp IBSEN will take an 11-point lead into tomorrow’s Medal Race after a fantastic finish to today’s final race in which they hauled themselves from 15th to eighth overall. The Australians are protesting the Race Committee on race 10 under Rule 62.1(a), you can see more details and view the decision of the International Jury when it is posted in our Protests & Communications section here.

Ben Ainslie and Zach Railey kill their time carrying out match races. Qingdao, 16 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

John DANE, at 58 years the oldest sailor competing at this year’s Games, and his crew and son-in-law Austin SPERRY hold the overall in the Star fleet on 14 points. Once again many of the big names of the class posted high scores and it looks set to be a high-scoring series.

The Laser and Laser Radial fleets both managed one race in light winds on course area C. This was enough to bring them up to five races in their Opening Series and allow each sailor to exclude one race score from their overall points total. Following a tenth place finish in today’s race, Diego ROMERO of Italy is back at the top of the Laser fleet, although just six points cover the top six skippers. In the Laser Radials, New Zealander Jo ALEH now holds the overall lead, three points ahead of Gintare VOLUNGEVICIUTE of Lithuania, who won today’s race. China’s Lijia XU has also hauled herself back into contention with a fifth place finish today pulling her up to fourth overall, just behind world #1 Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA).

With the wind getting lighter through the day, the RS:X fleet returned to shore without completing a race.

Spaniards Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz win opening Tornado race

[Source: ISAF] Two-time World Champions Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ of Spain won the first race in the Multihull - Tornado event at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Race 1 of the Tornado Opening Series got under way almost three hours late on Friday, starting in moderate air and finishing in light air on Course A.

To use or not to use the Chupacabra [a sail designed specifically for light winds] was the question for some. The special sail got John LOVELL and Charlie OGLETREE (USA) out of a hole off the starting line but, in the 9-10 knot breeze toward the top of the first beat, it started to flutter.

What had been a significant lead evaporated and they limped around the windward mark in fourth place. Six boats with larger gennakers rolled over them on the run and they rounded the gate in ninth.

Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz win opening Tornado race. Qingdao, 15 August 2008. Photo copyright Clive Mason/Getty Images

From there, they slid to 14th place, nearly eight minutes behind the winners, Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ BLANCO (ESP), the 2005 and 2007 World Champions.

ECHAVARRI and PAZ trailed behind Iordanis PASCHALIDIS and Konstantinos TRIGONIS (GRE) for much of the race, only pulling into the lead at the top of the final beat.

Said ECHAVARRI after today's race: "Today the wind was very difficult and, if these conditions continue, we will suffer a lot."

Mitch BOOTH and Pim NIEUWENHUIS (NED), who opted against the Chupacabra, were third throughout most of the race a position they maintained at the finish. Reigning World Champions and world #1 crew Darren BUNDOCK and Glenn ASHBY (AUS) recovered from a poor start to post a solid fifth place finish.

The surprise of the day was watching Sydney and Athens Olympic gold medallists, Roman HAGARA and Hans Peter STEINACHER (AUT) sail around the course at the back of the fleet throughout the race and finish 12th out of the 15 competing boats.

British Sailors Lead The Way Into First Olympic Medal Races

[Source: ISAF] British Finn sailor Ben AINSLIE is on course for his third consecutive Olympic gold medal and GBR also lead the battle in the Yngling going into the first Medal Races ever held at the Olympic Games.

The Finn and Yngling fleets both completed their Opening Series on the seventh day of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao. A lack of wind earlier in the day meant only one race, race 8 of the Opening Series, could be held. A second place finish for Ben AINSLIE gives him a 12-point cushion over the USA’s Zach RAILEY going into tomorrow’s Medal Race and assures him of a silver medal at worse.

In the Yngling fleet, Athens gold medallists Sarah AYTON and Sarah WEBB and new crew Pippa WILSON are just a single point ahead of Mandy MULDER, Annemieke BES and Merel WITTEVEEN of the Netherlands. The Dutch team won today’s race to set up a fantastic Medal Race tomorrow. With the Greek team a distant third, the battle for the Olympic gold medal will centre on the two leading teams and whoever of the Dutch or British boat cross the finishing line first will end the day on the top step of the Olympic podium.

Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom of Sweden lead the Star class after the opening race. Qingdao, 15 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

The Medal Race is a new Olympic Format for sailing and is being used at the Games for the first time ever this year. The top ten boats from the Opening Series qualify for the Medal Race, with their scores in the Medal Race counting for double points. The competitors carry their overall scores from the Opening Series of races through to the Medal Race and the medals will be decided by combining the Opening Series score with a boat’s Medal Race score. In addition, where a boat can exclude one score from their Opening Series points total, the score in the Medal Race cannot be excluded. The races will be held just in front of the spectator breakwater at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, on a short 30-minute course with Jury boats to officiate the action on the water.

The Medal Races for both the Finn and Yngling events will be broadcast live and will be followed straight away by the medal ceremonies, held on a specially constructed platform inside the marina. The first Medal Race scheduled is for the Finn at 13:00. The Yngling Medal Race is scheduled to start at 14:00. Check your local television listings for broadcast times. You can also follow the action live with mark-by-mark roundings and estimated finishes on the ISAF Olympic Games microsite.

In addition to today's races in the Finn and Yngling, the Star and Tornado fleets also got their Opening Series underway on course area A. With the forecast northeasterly breeze not arriving until late in the afternoon, there were long delays this morning and consequently only one race was completed in the Star, Tornado, Laser, Laser Radial, Men's and Women's RS:X and Men's 470 fleets. The Women's 470 fleet managed to squeeze in two races.

Iordanis Paschalidis and Konstantinos Trigonis, 2nd placed in the Tornado class. Qingdao, 15 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

Fredrik LOOF and Anders EKSTROM of Sweden won the first race in the Star, with a lot of the pre-regatta favourites posting high scores after getting caught on the wrong side of a big wind shift up the first beat. Spain's 2005 and 2007 World Champions Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ BLANCO won the opening Tornado race. In the two windsurfer fleets the Israeli and Chinese leaders consolidated their positions, as did Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA) in the Laser Radial. In win in today's Laser race puts Paul GOODISON (GBR) top of the overall standings. Australia hold the lead in both Men's and Women's 470 fleets.

Following today's delays the schedule for tomorrow has been updated.

Photo selection from Qingdao

Given the lack of any racing action on Thursday, we publish a selection of photos from the first five of the Olympics

Marcelien De Koning and Lobke Berkhout, leaders in 470 Women. Photo copyright Jueg Kaufmann

Mandy Mulder, Annemieke Bes and Merel Witteveen, 2nd placed in Yngling. Photo copyright Jueg Kaufmann

Natalia Via-Dufresne and Laia Tutzo, 3rd placed in 470 Women. Photo copyright Jueg Kaufmann

Mrina Alabau, 2nd placed in RS:X Women. Photo copyright Jueg Kaufmann

No Racing On Day Six In Qingdao

[Source: ISAF] Racing was canned on Thursday in Qingdao as the wind deserted the Chinese city.

Friday’s schedule has been amended and with stronger northeasterly winds forecast it looks set to be an extremely busy day seven at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. The first starts in the Finn and Yngling fleets are scheduled for 12:00, with the intention of giving both fleets time to complete the final three races of their Opening Series ahead of their Medal Races on Saturday 15 August. The Laser and Laser Radial fleets will also start at 12:00 and will utilise their reserve day with three races scheduled. Three races are also scheduled for the 49ers. The two RS:X fleets will use their second reserve day with races 5 and 6 of their Opening Series scheduled. Finally the Tornado and Star fleets will sail their first two races of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition in front of the spectators on the breakwater and television cameras on course area A.

Forecasters are predicting stronger wind conditions over the coming days, with wind speeds increasing to around 5-10 knots tomorrow and 8-14 for Saturday, the first day of Medal Races.

Team USA Lead The Way On Day Five Of The Olympic Sailing Competition

[Source: ISAF] Team USA excelled on day five of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, winning six of the 11 races including three straight bullets for Tim WADLOW and Chris RAST in the 49er.

The three race victories helped Tim WADLOW and Chris RAST haul themselves back into contention in the Skiff - 49er event. However it’s still the Australians Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ben AUSTIN who lead, although just one point separates them from the consistent Danish team. Australia's Nathan WILMOT and Malcolm PAGE also leads in the Men’s 470, although Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON (AUS) slipped to second in the women’s event behind triple World Champions Marcelien DE KONING and Lobke BERKHOUT (NED).

For the Laser, Laser Radial, Finn and Yngling fleets, racing further out from the shore there was a delay of just over two hours before racing got underway as the wind was shifting significantly in both direction and speed. Following the delay, the fleets completed just one of their two scheduled races, so their series have been rescheduled to utilise their reserve days (click here for the amended race schedule) In the Laser, Italy’s Diego ROMERO seized the overall lead as Andrew MURDOCH (ITA) fell from first to 13th overall after a 40th place finish. ROMERO’s fifth place in today’s race, won by Andrew CAMPBELL (USA), puts him two points ahead of Gustavo LIMA (POR).

Anna Tunnicliffe, leader in the Laser Radial fleet. Qingdao, 13 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

There was more good news for the American team in the Laser Radial fleet. World #1 Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA) posted another solid finish of sixth to maintain the overall lead. Penny CLARK (GBR) won today’s race to move up to fifth overall with an up and down scorecard of 2, 22, 1.

In the Yngling fleet, the Americans recorded another victory, but the big winners of the day were the British team of Sarah AYTON, Sarah WEBB and Pippa WILSON who extended their overall advantage on the Dutch with a second place finish. Ben AINSLIE (GBR) also extended his overall lead in the Finn fleet. The double gold medallist and reigning Olympic Champion finished second in race 7 of the Finn Opening Series, five places ahead of his closest rival Zach RAILEY (USA).

ZUBARI Makes Headway In Light Breezes To Extend Lead In Men's RS:X

[Source: ISAF] Opening-day leader Shahar ZUBARI of Israel repeated his first and third place finishes to take an eight-point overall lead over his nearest rival at the end of day two of competition in the Men's Windsurfer - RS:X event.

The 21 year old world #14 was not one of the favourites coming into the Olympics and has raised eyebrows with his sizzling performances so far

"I like my dark horse status. I am quite young and the other sailors in the class have much more experience than me. Right now I am focused on each race from the start, and each leg for itself," Shahar ZUBARI said.

Shahar Zubari of Israel extended his overall lead with another bullet and a third in Tuesday's racing. Photo copyright Clive Mason/Getty Images

Hong Kong’s King Yin CHAN held on to second place overall with second and fifth places, but Aichen WANG (CHN) fell from third to seventh, a disastrous 16th in the soft, shifty breezes letting him down.

CHAN's coach Rene APPEL (NED) said: "To me, he was not very consistent today. Although he is still ranked number two, I am not satisfied. A good coach won't be quickly satisfied. I coached Lai Shan LEE (1996 Hong Kong Olympic gold medal winner) in 1996. I know what good sailors are. CHAN is definitely one of them."

Reigning World Champion Tom ASHLEY (NZL) moved up with a win in race 2 into third overall but lies 11 points behind the leader. "It wasn't as shifty as I expected. Today was about not doing anything stupid," the 23 year old said. After winning last year’s Test Event, ASHLEY knows what it takes to succeed in Qingdao. "The first half of the regatta is about trying to minimize mistakes. If you can get through that without a bad discard then you can go ahead and sail harder in the second half."

ASHLEY's main threats moved up the leaderboard too. Julien BONTEMPS (FRA) and Nick DEMPSEY (GBR) are right behind him in fourth and fifth.

The rest of the field have hard work ahead of them. Sixth-placed Maxim OBEREMKO (UKR) is on 32 points - 24 behind ZUABARI and the Olympic Format only allows one race score to be excluded from the Opening Series total (after five races are completed). World #1 Przemyslaw MIARCZYNSKI (POL) is way back in 19th place with 85 points.

The RS:X windsurfers take a break on Wednesday and return for races 5 and 6 of the Opening Series on Thursday.

Lasers Begin Whilst 470s Lead Aussie Charge On Day Four In Qingdao

[Source: ISAF] Australia holds the overall lead in three events after a star showing from its 470 sailors on day four of racing at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao.

The Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy events joined the show on Fushan Bay today, with both the Laser (Men) and Laser Radial (Women) fleets completing their first two races. The windsurfers in the RS:X fleet and 470 two person dinghies also completed races 3 and 4 of their Opening Series with China’s Jian YIN continuing to lead the way in the Women’s Windsurfer event. The Finn, Yngling and 49er fleets all had a day off the water, giving them the opportunity to recover and prepare for their return to the racing area tomorrow.

Jian Yin keeps sweeping the women's windsurfer event. Qingdao, 12 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

The light wind conditions continued in Qingdao today and racing was particularly tricky for the Lasers and Laser Radials on course area A with some big upsets amongst the pre-regatta favourites. New Zealand’s Andrew MURDOCH leads the Laser fleet after a second place and a fifth today whilst back-to-back World Champion and world #1 Tom SLINGSBY (AUS) languishes down in 23rd overall. In contrast, Laser Radial world #1 Anna TUNNICLIFFE (USA) leads the women’s fleet with consistent 4, 5 scores. China’s 2006 World Champion Lijia XU got her campaign off to a mixed start, finishing 24th in the first race but recovering to third in the second.

Once again there was no stopping the host nation in the Women’s RS:X fleet, as YIN extended her overall lead with a first and a third. Shahar ZUBARI of Israel posted identical scores to consolidate his lead of the men’s fleet.

Triple World Champions Nathan WILMOT and Malcolm PAGE have taken the lead in the Men’s 470 fleet with consistent 3, 3 scores today. Their team mates Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON fared even better in the women’s fleet with a fourth place and a win putting them top.

Part of the 470 Men's fleet. Qingdao, 12 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

China Leads After Day One In the Women's RS:X

[Source: ISAF] Athens silver medallist Jian YIN of China got off to a flying start in the Women's RS:X fleet, winning both opening races on Monday.

The Women’s RS:X fleet completed both of their opening races in light and shifty airs on course area A, conditions in which Jian YIN (CHN) excels. She led both races from start to finish to get her campaign off to a perfect start and give the watching spectators on the breakwater plenty to cheer about.

The 29 year old, who came within a whisker of winning gold in Athens four years ago, was understandable satisfied with her first day’s performance. "I think I performed really well and if I keep doing what I did today I will definitely end up with a medal," she commented.

Jian Yin , left, powers away from the starting line. Photo copyright DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

Best of the rest amongst the 27-strong fleet was the experienced Jessica CRISP of Australia. She lies second overall after 2, 4 scores on Monday, although she acknowledged the Chinese sailor was the star of the day, "YIN is the one to beat. She had an impressive day. She had an excellent start and led all the way. But I'm happy with how I started the race. Nothing's final because it's only the first day. There's a long way to go," said CRISP.

Bryony SHAW (GBR), winners of last year’s Test Event in Qingdao, is one point behind CRISP in third. Thanks to YIN’s success, her strategy for the day worked out perfectly, "I made a great decision to follow the Chinese girl since she had great local knowledge, but my personal sailing has improved since last year. In order to get to the top in this class, it's all about fitness and speed,” she said.

It was a disappointing first day for Athens gold medallist Faustine MERRET of France. She was disqualified from race 2 following a mark rounding incident with world #1 Marina ALABAU (ESP) and consequently lies 19th overall.

ALABAU herself had a solid start with 3, 5 scores and lies just behind another of the regatta favourites, triple Olympic medallist and reigning World Champion Alessandra SENSINI (ITA), who is fourth overall with 6, 2 scores.

Races 3 and 4 are scheduled to be sailed from 13:00 on Tuesday.

German News Agency (dpa): Olympic organizers to seal off Qingdao race courses

Update, Tuesday 11am Valencia Time: The restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities were short lived. After the strong pressure from the sailors and national federations, they were finally lifted. Whether the Olympic sailors will be able to train is another issue. Qingdao woke up on Tuesday covered by very dense fog.

This is a brief translation of the report the German News Agency issued a couple of hours ago:

"The organizers of the Olympic sailing regatta in Qingdao (BOCOG) have declared the Olympic courses as prohibited zone by 8 tomorrow morning (Tuesday), local time. The announcement, sent to all national bodies, included no reasons and no limit. This was confirmed by the sports director of the German Sailing Federation, Hans Sendes.

Speculations in Qingdao are that the organizers might choose harder weapons in their fight against the spread of the algae."