Melbourne gold sees Ainslie on track for world crown
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Article Date: 2008-01-21
View Count: 392
Double
Olympic sailing gold medallist Ben Ainslie notched up another regatta victory in
Australia today (Saturday 19 January) and will be firm favourite for an
unprecedented fifth world title when racing at the Finn Gold Cup gets underway
in Melbourne next week.
Ainslie’s
gold today, after a week of strong winds and big seas at the Sail Melbourne Asia
Pacific Regatta, was one of five medals claimed by Skandia Team GBR’s sailors at
the event – used as a warm-up by many ahead of their impending class World
Championships in the southern hemisphere.
The trip Down
Under is proving a lucrative one for Ainslie, who adds his gold today to
victories at the Sydney International Regatta and the Go for Gold Regatta in
Melbourne in December, which helped secure his Olympic berth for Beijing and
make him the man to beat heading into the Finn Gold Cup.
Absent from
the past two Gold Cups – the world championship for the heavyweight dinghy –
Ainslie won the event in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, so all eyes will be on the
30-year-old to see if he can extend his winning record to five world titles in
the class.
After missing
out on Olympic qualification, Ed Wright, who joined Ainslie on the podium taking
the silver at the Sail Melbourne event today, will also be hoping for a strong
showing at the Gold Cup next week (23-29 January).
Ainslie and
Wright contributed two of the five medals which Skandia Team GBR’s sailors
claimed at the multi-class event in Melbourne. A timely gold also went to Nick
Rogers and Joe Glanfield in the 470 Men’s event, who will head into 470 World
Championships next week (24-30 January) in confident form. Britain’s 2006 World
Champions Nic Asher and Elliot Willis finished just outside of the medals in
fourth place in the men’s double-handed event, with 2012 hopefuls Luke Patience
and Chris Grube in ninth.
Three-time
European Champion Paul Goodison took gold in the Laser class in his comeback
event – the 30-year-old has been recovering from a wrist fracture after falling
from his bike, while Leigh McMillan and Will Howden took bronze in the Tornado
catamaran class.
Across the
Tasman Sea, the RS:X World Championships concluded today in Takapuna, New
Zealand, with British windsurfers Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw finishing in
sixth and eighth places respectively.
Racing at the
Finn Gold Cup gets underway at the Black Rock Yacht Club on Wednesday 23
January, with the final medal race scheduled for Tuesday 29 January. The 470
World Championships get underway at the Mordiallic Sailing Club on Thursday 24
January through until Wednesday 30 January.
Results:
2008 Sail Melbourne
Asia Pacific Regatta – Melbourne, AUS
Finn
1.Ben Ainslie, GBR
(37pts)
2. Ed Wright, GBR
(59pts)
3. Rafael Trujillo,
ESP (66pts)
Other selected GBR
12. Ed Greig
(131pts)
14. Giles Scott (148pts)
18 Andrew Mills
(191pts)
Laser
1.Paul Goodison, GBR
(25pts)
2. Andrew Murdoch,
NZL (34pts)
3. Tom Slingsby, AUS
(35pts)
Other selected
GBR
17. Nick Thompson
(71pts)
470
Men
1. Nick Rogers-Joe
Glanfield, GBR (49pts)
2.Sime Fantela-Igor
Marenic, CRO (61pts)
3. Mathew
Belcher-Nick Behrens, AUS (78pts)
Other
GBR
4. Nic Asher-Elliot
Willis (84pts)
9. Luke
Patience-Chris Grube (107pts)
Tornado
1.Darren
Bundock-Glenn Ashby, AUS (21pts)
2. Andrey
Kirilyuk-Valeriy Ushkov, UKR (41pts)
3. Leigh
McMillan-Will Howden, GBR (47pts)
Other
GBR
8. Andrew Walsh-Ed
Barney (71pts)
16. John
Gimson-Stuart Bithell (121pts)
18. Tom Phipps-Marcus
Lynch (146pts)
470
Women
1. Erin
Maxwell-Isabelle Kinsolving, USA (46pts)
2.Ai Kondo-Naoko
Kamata, JPN (62pts)
3. Giulia
Conti-Giovanne Micol, ITA (86pts)
GBR
11. Christina
Bassadone-Saskia Clark (117pts)
2008 RS:X World
Championships – Takapuna, NZL
Men
1.Tom Ashley, NZL
(44pts)
2. Joao Rodrigues,
POR (55pts)
3. Shahar Zubari, ISR
(58pts)
Other selected
GBR
6. Nick Dempsey
(75pts)
Women
1. Alessandra
Sensini, ITA (23pts)
2. Barbara Kendall,
NZL (25pts)
3. Marina Alabau, ESP
(41pts)
Other selected
GBR
8. Bryony Shaw
(67pts)
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