Light Wind, Strong Wind: The Key is to be good at all of it
It’s really hard to be world class across the whole wind range. That’s why the very best Olympic sailors enjoy competing in a whole variety of wind and wave conditions across the course of a five or six-day regatta, because it tends to weed out the specialists. Some prefer light winds, others prefer strong, because […]
Olympic Sailing 2024: The Proposals that Powered the Women’s Skiff Podium
Winning an Olympic medal is special, but for Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon, that sensation was amplified tenfold when they returned to shore and watched both their partners propose in unison. After finishing sixth in the 49erFX Medal Race, Steyaert and Picon clinched a bronze medal and leaped into the sea to celebrate in front […]
Day 7 Analysis: The medal that nearly wasn’t
What a day! We waited a while for the Skiff Medal Races to happen, but today’s conditions came good for a spectacular conclusion to the 49ers and the 49erFX in particular. Women’s Skiff Medal Race: The new Women’s Skiff Olympic Champions (Photo by World Sailing / Sander van der Borch) It was the most dramatic […]
Olympic Sailing 2024: Spanish Sensations Botin and Trittel Strike Gold in Men’s Skiff
Diego Botin and Florian Trittel fulfilled a lifelong dream by mastering the Men’s Skiff to become Olympic champions. The Spanish pair sailed impressively throughout the regatta, finishing top of the Opening Series by a narrow five-point margin. Botin and Trittel had not won an individual race heading into the decisive Medal Race, but they saved […]
Olympic Sailing 2024: Dutch Delight as Van Aanholt and Duetz Win first Paris Sailing Gold in Women’s Skiff
Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz clinched the first sailing gold medal of Paris 2024 following a hugely dramatic Women’s Skiff Medal Race. The Dutch duo went into the crucial finale trailing France’s Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon by just a point. Both crews took turns leading the rankings throughout the Opening Series and went […]
Men’s Skiff: Day of Frustration
There were two attempts at getting the Men’s Skiff Medal Race completed today. In the first race Diego Botin and Florian Trittel found a good lane out to the right hand side of the course and were higher and faster than their rivals. Already sitting in gold medal position, the Spanish team rounded the first […]
OLYMPIC SAILING 2024: SPANISH SAIL INTO MEN’S SKIFF MEDAL RACE
Diego Botin and Florian Trittel maintained their position at the summit of the Men’s Skiff standings with the Medal Race to come tomorrow. The Spanish duo did not manage to finish in the top five at all today, but inconsistency across the board meant they ended the Opening Series with a five-point lead. Ireland’s Robert […]
DAY 5 ANALYSIS: TWO MOUTHWATERING SKIFF FINALES FOR THURSDAY
Men’s Skiff: Seven in with a shout of Gold With scores from the day of 15,12,6, Diego Botin and Florian Trittel might have felt a bit deflated with their performance. However, it was another chaotic day for pretty much everyone in the men’s 49er fleet, a day when it would be easy to lose your […]
OLYMPIC SAILING 2024: STEYAERT AND PICON REGAIN LEAD IN WOMEN’S SKIFF AHEAD OF MEDAL RACE
The twists and turns in the Women’s Skiff continued to entertain as Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon regained the lead heading into tomorrow’s Medal Race. On another unpredictable day on the water, the French crew did enough to edge ahead with two finishes in the top ten. The Dutch pair of Odile van Aanholt and […]
“DON’T SHOW ME THE SCOREBOARD!”
They’re competing in the most important regatta of their lives, so why do sailors not even keep track of their results? When reporters ask sailors if they’re happy with their scores so far, quite often the sailors have no clue of the points or where they’re lying in the competition. “Don’t talk to me about […]