Morning Report: Day of destiny for Burling & Tuke

Today’s racing will take place in:

• 49erFX Women, Medal Race
• 49er Men, Medal Race
• 470 Men, 2 races
• 470 Women, 2 races

Day 9 in Enoshima, and today we get to see the skiff medals decided for the 49er Men and 49erFX Women. Light winds will make it a tense showdown.

49erFX Women Medal Race

Going into the 49erFX Women Medal Race two high-class teams share the top spot on equal points – the double World Champions Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz (NED) who will wear the yellow bibs, and Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) looking to defend their Olympic title from five years ago.

Only three points off the lead are Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke (GER) who are promising to race aggressively for the gold, while just back from them are the reigning World Champions from Spain, Tamara Echegoyen and Paula Barcelo. Echegoyen rose to the occasion to London 2012, winning a spectacular final in the women’s match racing. 

By their standards, the yellow bib was a long time coming for Pete Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL), the most feted sailors of their generation. But the yellow bibs are the colour that will mark out the defending Olympic Champions on the start line of the Medal Race. 

Unlike Rio 2016 where the Kiwis locked up the gold with a race to spare, they’re only four points ahead of two teams who are hungry for the podium – Dylan Fletcher and Stu Bithell (GBR) alongside Diego Botin and Iago Lopez Marra (ESP). Also sharing equal points but 10 points back from bronze are the German and Danish teams who will be looking to spoil the podium party this afternoon.

470 Women

Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) hold the overall lead in the 470 Women, but only a point in front of Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Jolanta Ogar (POL). Nine points further back is France’s Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz (FRA). Best of the rest are Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI), although the Swiss are currently 17 points away from the podium with just two qualifying races to make up the gap. 

470 Men

Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) hold a 19-point advantage over second placed Spaniards Jordi Xammar and Nico Rodriguez (ESP), who are recovering well from a slow start to the regatta. Looking to make manoeuvres against the Spanish are Sweden and Great Britain who are tied for third, just four points behind second.

Weather

• Mostly sunny then cloudy and shower with low chance of thunderstorm afternoon.
• Gradient winds SE 5kt –> E 5kt –> SE 5kt.
• Race Area surface wind less than 5kt, S-SSW 5-6kt from 11LT, less than 4kt from 13LT, E-ENE 4-6kt from 14LT, ESE-SE 6-8kt from 17LT.
• Sea state: 0.5 wave height.

Schedule

Medal Races

Enoshima Course

1430 JST  49erFX Women, Medal Race
1530 JST  49er Men, Medal Race

Fleet Races

Fujisawa Course

1430 JST  470 Men, 2 races

Enoshima Course

1200 JST  470 Women, 2 races

To follow the racing on tracker, click here.

To find out more about international broadcasters of the Sailing, click here.

For more detail from the Weather Forecast, click here.

Words by Andy Rice – World Sailing
Photography by Sailing Energy / World Sailing