Miami Sailing World Cup Update
The Miami Sailing World Cup has reached its half way point with a number of WAIS sailing athletes in action as the path to Olympic qualification and selection continues.
One of the keenest battles for selection is unfolding between WAIS athlete Matthew Wearn and fellow Australian Sailing Team member Tom Burton, with the men’s laser position, that both covet, already secured for Rio.
As it currently stands in Miami, Burton holds the upper hand, with the former world champion occupying fourth place, following ninth and a third place efforts in the most recently completed day of racing.
Wearn recorded third and 12th place finishes and sits eighth overall, with both men still in podium contention, ahead of Saturday’s medal race.
WAIS athlete Carrie Smith and her crew Jaime Ryan fought back strongly to move into 14th position following a disastrous second day that saw the Rio hopefuls accrue a black flag and OCS from two starts.
The pair who have qualified Australia’s boat in the women’s 470 class will look to secure their own ticket to the Olympics when they compete at the World Championships in Argentina next month.
In the women’s 49erFX, WAIS athlete Caitlin Elks and her skipper Tess Lloyd are currently in a selection battle for Rio with two other crews. Elks and Lloyd are in 23rd place in Miami, with fellow Australia competitors, Haylee Outteridge and Nina Curtis further up the leaderboard in 13th.
In the men’s 49er, WAIS sailor David Gilmour and his new partnership with Queenslander Lewis Brake is showing promising early signs, with the pair sailing well and currently ranked seventh. The Olympic selection in this class has already been ratified by the Australian Olympic Committee, with 2012 Olympic champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen set to defend their title.
In the Paralympic events, WAIS sailors Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden, in partnership with Jonathon Harris sit in third place overall in the Sonar, having bounced back strongly from a slow start on day one.
The trio who have qualified Australia’s boat for Rio and represent virtual locks to fill the quota pending they maintain form and fitness, have recorded four podium finishes in Miami, and are continuing a rich vein of form from 2015, which saw the triumvirate podium at each major event they contested.
The Miami World Cup concludes this Saturday, with further details available via: http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/multimedia/tracking.php?utm_source=World+Sailing+Press&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SWC+Miami+-+Preview+%232