Reigning champs enjoy ISAF World Cup Final opening day

Sport360 staff 16:51 29/10/2015
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  • The 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final produced a fascinating opening day in Abu Dhabi, and it was business as usual for several defending champions.

    Great Britain’s Bryony Shaw made the perfect start in her pursuit of a second successful World Cup Final title at Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club (ADSYC), taking the first race win in the Women’s RS:X ahead of Brazilian Patricia Freitas and France’s Helene Noesmoen. 

    Shaw followed up with a second place and another victory to lead by one point at the end of the day from Flavia Tartaglini of Italy who recorded finishes of 4th, 3rd and 2nd.

    – GALLERY: ISAF Sailing World Cup training
    – World Cup: Abu Dhabi prepares for thrilling finale

    – World Cup: UAE sailors to share stage with stars
    – World Cup: ISAF Sailors heading to UAE shores

    Last year’s winner looks determined to hold on to her crown.

    “It was fun sailing out there, nice offshore, windy conditions,” said Shaw. “It was great to get some speed in the wind but still there was pressure to not get stuck in the light winds. I’m here to try and win the gold medal so it’s great to already be ahead.”

    Australian Tom Burton is another who clearly enjoys the conditions in Abu Dhabi. The 2014 champion scored one race win and a second place to lead the 20-boat Laser fleet from five-time Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt of Brazil who picked up a pair of third places.

    In the Laser Radial Holland’s Marit Bouwmeester leads on four points, while the day’s other race win went to Great Britain’s Alison Young, but 12th in the second race leaves her 7th overall.

    In the fiercely contested Women’s 470 class, Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar led from start to finish and took the first race win by 17 seconds from London 2012 Olympic silver medalists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark and the gold medal winners from the World Cup qualifying regatta in Qingdao, Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka.

    But fortunes can change quickly and in the second race Vadlau and Ogar were disqualified for a false start, finishing the day fourth overall. Leading the class are Kondo Yoshida and Yoshioka who won the second race of the day.

    In the men’s RS:X class, Great Britain’s Tom Squires won the first of the day’s three races by 28 seconds from Byron Kokkalanis of Greece, Italy’s Daniele Benedetti a close third.

    Squires followed up with a third place in race two as Kokkalanis finished runner up again – this time to Britain’s Joe Bennett – and the pair completed the day sharing the lead in the class on four points each. Italian Mattia Camboni won the third race and is third overall.

    Squires said: “It’s been a really good day, nice and windy. We’ve had up to 15 knots, it’s really been quite lovely actually. I have to play my cards right tomorrow.”

    In the 49er, the Polish combination of Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki snatched two second places and discarded their 7th position in the third race to lead on two points from World Cup Miami gold medallists Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch of Austria. 

    There are no bigger favourites for gold in the UAE capital than multiple world champions Mat Belcher and Will Ryan, although the Australians had to come from behind to land the opening race in the men’s 470. 

    In race two the Aussies were beaten into second place by McNay and Hughes but lead the Americans by a single point at the end of the day. In the Finn class Great Britain’s Edward Wright leads on four points following a first and third position in the day’s two races, heading Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic of Croatia.

    The open kiteboarding event continued through the afternoon off the Corniche in Abu Dhabi as defending champion Oliver Bridge of Great Britain aims to defend his title.

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