Rodion Luka and George Leonchuk of the Ukraine are the champions!
Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks secure a silver medal – RYA Team GBR sailors, Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks, will stand on the podium, this time with a silver medal.
After 24 intense races, Draper and Hiscocks once again show that they can hold their own in a 67 boat fleet against some of the best Olympic athletes and new sailing talent. After the semi-finals the fleet was divided into three; gold, silver and bronze. It was at this point that the gold fleet really started to heat up. Draper and Hiscocks struggled on the first day of the finals and lost their lead.
Taking over the lead were Luka and Leonchuk, who had to fend off two potential protests in the final race by doing 360’s on questionable fouls to ensure the regatta would be decided on the water.
The whole regatta was conducted over 7 days on the river system just outside of Moscow, Russia. The fleet was housed on a ‘cruise’ ship and catered for by the local hosts. After 12 races in qualifying, four races per day for three days, the fleet enjoyed a day off to tour Moscow and visit the Kremlin or other attractions.
The penultimate day of racing was also a tough one for Draper and Hiscocks who had two capsizes and a disqualification for tacking too close to another boat, yet they still gained ground on the fleet and finished the day back in the top three. Draper and Hiscocks sailed consistently on the final day, kept their ranking and secured a second place overall.
Draper explained, “We made some really simple mistakes on the last few days of racing, so we are happy to have finished in second. We had a good run this season with a win at the Europeans and at Kiel Week so it’s nice to do well again here. Simon and I have taken a relaxed approach to this season and have just enjoyed being out on the water.
We go back to full time training in October and from here on we will be focusing on the Beijing Olympics.” Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes finished up the Worlds in fifth overall. Morrison and Rhodes continue to make their mark at world-class events and are now consistently finishing in the top ten. Other RYA Development Squad members John Pink and Alex Hopson finished the regatta in ninth place overall. Three Team GBR boats finished in the top ten at the 49er World Championships proving that British sailors continue to dominate out on the water.
