Stellar performance sees Percy-Simpson clinch Star sailing gold
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Article Date: 2008-08-21
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Iain Percy and Andrew
Simpson have won Star class gold on a thrilling final day of the Beijing 2008
Olympic Regatta today, leaving Britain’s sailors with their best Olympic medal
haul for 100 years.
Sydney 2000 Finn gold
medallist Percy and Simpson, making his Olympic debut, went into the race two
points behind Swedes Freddie Loof and Anders Ekstrom but with one eye also on
Brazilians Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada behind them in
third.
In a nail-biting
encounter, Percy and Simpson executed a tactically perfect race, the Swedes
being forced to gybe on the first downwind run and the Brits edging their noses
ahead, a position they refused to relinquish for the rest of the
race.
At times, Scheidt and
Prada, who had taken the race to the rest of the fleet and built a big lead on
the first lap, appeared to threaten the gold, meaning Percy and Simpson not only
had to stay ahead of the Swedes but also finish in the top
six.
But as the Brazilians
fell down the fleet, it became a straight head-to-head between Great Britain and
Sweden and in a scintillating sprint to the finish line, Percy and Simpson
surfed over the line in fifth place, with the Swedes 11 seconds behind in
10th for the gold to go to the Brits with a final tally 45 points
overall.
Speaking immediately
after the race, Percy, who also beat Loof to gold in Sydney, said: “It was
unbelievable, so special. We felt good this morning, I knew we weren’t going to
bottle it and we didn’t. It’s been a killer four years and I am so glad it’s
behind me.”
Simpson added: “I’m
shocked and over the moon. This week and this year have been so hard
and there are no words to describe how happy we are. For the last year,
everything has been focussed on this week, we’ve worked so hard and it is just
amazing. We’ve pulled it back from the brink and it’s all come good for us.”
Loof
and Ekstrom had to settle
for bronze despite finishing on the same overall points – 53 - as Scheidt and
Prada, the Brazilians snatching silver on account of them finishing higher up
the fleet in the medal race than the Swedes.
Percy and Simpson’s
is Britain’s sixth sailing medal of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with Ben
Ainslie (Finn) and Yngling trio Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson winning
gold on Sunday, Paul Goodison taking the top Laser prize on Tuesday, Nick Rogers
and Joe Glanfield clinching 470 men’s silver on Monday and windsurfer Bryony
Shaw claiming bronze yesterday.
This surpasses the
Brits’ medal total at the past two Games in Athens and Sydney where Britain won
five medals apiece while the sailors’ feat in Qingdao mirrors the achievements
of the British sailing team at the 1908 London Games.
It also means for the
third successive Olympics, Britain finishes the regatta as the world’s top
performing sailing nation.
RYA Olympic Manager
Stephen Park was a happy man. “It’s absolutely fantastic, I’m over the moon
with the medals and the gold for the Stars is the icing on the
cake.
“It’s a huge relief
that we’ve actually managed to deliver against our target. I’m really pleased
that Great Britain is having a fantastic Olympic Games and we’re playing our
part in that.”
Park had particular
praise for Star crew Andrew Simpson: “He’s a brilliant sailor, I’m really over
the moon for him particularly as he has spent the best part of his life as the
understudy and playing second fiddle to Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, two of the
best sailors of their generation.
“But finally, he’s
come out and he’s managed to add a little bit something to Iain Percy’s game and
it’s fantastic that he’s managed to come away with a gold
medal.”
Meanwhile, Leigh
McMillan and Will Howden have finished the Olympic Regatta in sixth overall
after romping to medal race victory.
The pair went into
the final medals’ showdown in ninth position knowing that a medal was out of
their reach.
But they ended their
2008 Olympics on a high, taking the Spanish boat of Fernando Echavarri and Anton
Paz Blanco before the second mark and winning the race, 14 second aheads of the
Canada duo Oskar Johansson and Kevin Stittle.
“It gives us some
positives out of it and just shows really what we can do, and what our abilities
are,” said McMillan. “We’ve had a real tough week and just a few key races went
against us and that was the difference between being in the medals and not at
the end.
“It’s nice to
actually come out and win the medal race, which is the main race, and also to
show what the Tornados and catamarans are capable of doing in putting on a good
show because they are incredible boats. Hopefully there’s the opportunity to
get the multihull back in the Olympics for 2012 so we’ve got something to go
for.”
Spaniards Echavarri
and Paz Blanco won the title with 44 points, Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby
(AUS) finished with silver on 49 and Santiago Lange and Carlos Espinola (ARG) in
third on 56. McMillan and Howden finished on 68 points.
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