Two Silver Medals for New Zealand at 2016 470 World Champs

Two Silver Medals for New Zealand at 2016 470 World Champs

New Zealand has won two silver medals at the 2016 470 World Championships in San Isidro, Argentina.

The two NZL Sailing Team crews of Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, and Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox, both put in excellent medal race performances today to secure the silver medals in both the men’s and women’s championships.

The result is especially pleasing for New Zealand with the 2016 Rio Olympic Games less than six months away.

Men’s 470

Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox won today’s medal race to claim the silver medal in Argentina. It is New Zealand’s first medal in the men’s 470 Olympic discipline since 2002, and Snow-Hansen and Willcox’s best World Champs result.

Making a dream start to the regatta with two race wins on the opening day, the pair then dropped in the standings after day three, but found form again over the second half of the six day series. In total, they won five of their eleven races including today’s high pressure medal race.

Snow-Hansen and Willcox will have Olympic selectors taking notice with this performance. They’re being coached in Argentina by Hamish Willcox, a three-time 470 World Champions himself in 1981, ’83 and ’84, and also coach to Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.

Snow-Hansen and Willcox’s previous best result at a 470 World Championship Regatta came in 2013 when they placed 7th in La Rochelle, France and they admit to having worked very hard to improve over recent months putting in plenty of time with training partners like Aleh and Powrie, and young New Zealand crew Sam Barnett and Zak Merton.

Snow-Hansen attributes much of their success to the support team around them, saying, “We have to say a huge thanks to our coaches for doing some good work with us, and also the young boys Sam and Zak. We really appreciate all they have contributed to our campaign.”

The Croatian pair of Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic took the men’s title after placing 5th in today’s medal race was enough to hold off the kiwi charge. France’s Sofian Bouvet and Jérémie Mion took bronze relegating the Australian combination of Belcher and Ryan out of the medals.

Women’s 470

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie placed 3rd in the today’s Women’s 470 World Championship medal race to surpass the Austrians in the standings and win the silver medal in what they describe as one of the longest, toughest regattas they’ve sailed.

After dropping out of the top ten on day two, the reigning Olympic champions, hampered with Powrie feeling unwell and even losing her voice, still managed to rise through the standings, put themselves into medal contention and then sail well enough in the high pressure medal race to win the silver medal.

“Polly was incredible; I was so proud of her today. She was worried about letting us down, she was amazing. She called a few of the bits in the race that actually made the difference,” said Jo Aleh after coming ashore.

“She could croak things out. She used up the last of her voice in the race. No, I’m really amazed with Polly’s performance today.”

Describing today’s medal race Aleh says, “The French and the Brazilians were around so I think early on in the race we were third overall and we pulled it back to 2nd. We’re pretty happy, it’s been a long hard week for us so to come away with this is pretty good.”

On this performance at World Championship level in an Olympic year Aleh comments; “Yeah, I think it is good. The good thing for us, is that there are so many things that we didn’t get quite right this week. To still be able to pull off a silver medal feels good.”

“We’ve got a lot of things to go and work on, so we’ll do that and we’ll be back fighting fit.”

Initially Aleh and Powrie, who are supported by long-time coach Nathan Handley, are planning to recuperate from what has been a long, tough week of racing.

“It’s a nice place here, but the weed and the sea plants – I’ve never seen anything like it really, I’ve been sailing for a long time. It’s had its own unique challenges,” adds Aleh talking about the venue and the bizarre infestation of water plants across the race courses.

“It’s been one of the hardest regattas we’ve done in a long time, just really long days on the water and really hot.”

Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance from France are the new 2016 Women’s 470 World Champions, just three points ahead of Aleh and Powrie at the conclusion. The bronze podium position went to Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar of Austria.

RS:X Women

Natalia Kosinska has finished 16th overall at the 2016 RS:X World Championships in Eilat, Israel after improving on the final day of racing by two positions

ENDS

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