By: Jodie Bakewell-White
RS:X World Championships: Day two round-up
Racing at the RS:X World Championships in Takapuna, New Zealand continued today with both the men and women sailing two
races each.
Conditions were excellent with a NNE breeze increasing through the afternoon and clear and sunny skies. The women’s
fleet was first out, racing in the early afternoon in around 10 knots of wind. The men followed starting mid afternoon
in a freshening breeze of around 15 knots.
The old guard are out-classing the young guns in the early stages of the Women’s RS:X World Championships with
Alessandra Sensini ITA and Barbara Kendall NZL sharing the lead at the end of day two.
Sensini was fifth in the first race of the day following that up with a win in race four of the regatta giving her three
wins from four races and eight points in total. Kendall, also on eight points had a fourth and a win in today’s racing.
The two legends of Olympic wind surfing are yet to line up on the same start line as Sensini has been racing in yellow
group and Kendall in blue group so far.
France has third and fourth on the women’s leader board with Charline Piccon in third place four points adrift of the
leading pair. Piccon started the day with a share of the lead and was 4th and 5th in her two races on day two.
Reining Olympic champion Faustine Merret has a share of fourth place on equal points with Blanca Manchon of Spain.
Mingli Duan of China had an excellent day on the water with a first and a third seeing her climb to 6th place on the
leader board.
Both Tom Ashley from New Zealand and Przemyslaw Miarczynski of Poland had a superb day on the water on day two of the
RS:X Men’s World Champs each recording two wins in the two races sailed.
For Ashley this means a three point leading margin the men’s fleet having three wins from four races on the score card
and a total of six points. Lafuente of Spain is second overall in the men’s fleet at the end of day two on nine points.
Miarczynski POL prefers the stronger winds and with his two wins today he leapt from 19th place at the start of the day
up to fifth overall.
Myszka of Poland is lying third overall just two points back from Lafuente after placing second in both of today’s
races. Le Gal of France is lying fourth with 22 points.
Racing resumes tomorrow at midday with two more races scheduled for both the men and women.
Women – Race Three
The women’s yellow group was the first to sail on day two getting underway at around 12:30 in 9 to 13 knots of wind.
Reining Olympic champ Faustine Merret of France won race three of the regatta. Poland’s Malgorzata Bialecka was second
and Chan Wai Kei of Hong Kong crossed in third.
In the blue group the Chinese team took two of the top three spots with Mingli Duan and Limei Sun shining in the
relatively light breeze and taking first and third respectively. Blanca Manchon of Spain recorded a second place adding
another good result to her score card. Barbara Kendall crossed the line just three seconds behind Sun to get fourth.
Women – Race Four
Overnight leader, Alessandra Sensini came out with a yellow group win in race four for the women crossing half a minute
ahead of Lee-El Korsitz of Israel. It was Sensini’s third win from four races. Bryony Shaw of Great Britain had her best
race of the regatta yet with a third place.
It was a nail biter finish for the blue group in race four. Barbara Kendall took her second race win of the regatta
overtaking Spain’s Marina Alabau on the final leg of the race. Alabau lead for the entire race until being passed by
Kendall who crossed the line just five seconds ahead. Mingli Duan who won the earlier race in the blue group was third,
just three seconds behind Alabau.
Men – Race Three
Przemyslaw Miarczynski of Poland took out the first race of the day in yellow group beating Casper Bouman of the
Netherlands across the line by 10 seconds. Ivan Pastor Lafuente of Spain, who started the day with a share of the lead
placed third in race three of the regatta.
Tom Ashley of New Zealand won the first race for the blue group today, with Piotr Myszka of Poland crossing very close
behind in second place. Richard Staufacher of Switzerland was third.
Men – Race Four
In the yellow group Przemyslaw Miarczynski of Poland made it two wins from two races on day two of the RS:X Worlds
crossing ahead of Ivan Pastor Lafuente of Spain. France’s Nicholas Huguet was third.
Meanwhile in the blue group Ashley NZL, Myszka POL and Staufacher SUI took first, second and third in race four as they
did in race three earlier in the afternoon.
Provisional Top Ten Standings
RS:X Men’s World Championships Day Two
1st Tom Ashley NZL – 6 points (3, 1, 1, 1)
2nd Ivan Pastor Lafuente ESP – 9 points (2, 2, 3, 2)
3rd Piotr Myszka POL – 11 points (2, 5, 2, 2)
4th Nicholas Le Gal FRA – 22 points (4, 3, 9, 6)
5th Przemyslaw Miarczynski POL – 23 points (10, 11, 1, 1)
6th Shahar Zubari ISR – 27 points (1, 3, 6, 17)
7th Nick Dempsey GBR – 29 points (5, 7, 12, 5)
8th Nimrod Mashiah ISR – 32 points (4, 7, 10, 11)
9th Joao Rodrigues POR – 34 points (18, 1, 5, 10)
10th Samuel Launay FRA – 36 points (14, 5, 11, 6)
Provisional Top Ten Standings
RS:X Women’s World Championships Day Two
1st = Alessandra Sensini ITA – 8 points (1, 1, 5, 1)
1st = Barbara Kendall NZL – 8 points (2, 1, 5, 1)
3rd Charline Piccon FRA – 12 points (1, 2, 4, 5)
4th = Faustine Merret FRA – 13 points (3, 5, 1, 4)
4th = Blanca Manchon ESP – 13 points (2, 4, 2, 5)
6th Mingli Duan CHN – 16 points (5, 7, 1, 3)
7th Peina Chen CHN – 23 points (5, 3, 8, 7)
8th Marina Alabau ESP – 29 points (4, 2, 21, 2)
9th= Bryony Shaw GBR – 30 points (8, 8, 11, 3)
9th = Jessica Crisp AUS – 30 points (4, 10, 6, 10)
For full results visit http://www.rsxclass.com/worlds2008.html
ENDS