Wearn Turns Towards Rio Battle with Burton
WAIS athlete and Australian Sailing Team member Matt Wearn will reengage his battle with fellow Aussie Tom Burton for the Australian Laser spot at the Rio Games today when the pair begins competition at the Laser Men’s World Championships in Canada.
The World Champs will see a continuation of the Australian battle between the pair, who are both vying for the single Australian spot at next year’s Rio Olympic Games, with ISAF regulations permitting countries only one entrant per nation.
In the first instance though, the battle will be over the selection spot for the Rio Test event in August with the Laser World Championship the final regatta in a series of selection events for both sailors.
Tom Burton has been ranked first on the ISAF World rankings since September 2014 and was previously the reigning World number one from September 2012 to April 2014. He won the ISAF Sailing World Cup inHyeres, France in April this year, and the ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne, Australia in December 2014. At the most recent World Cup in Weymouth and Portland he finished sixth, behind compatriot Wearn.
19-year old Wearn is the youngest Australian Sailing Team athlete and moved into world number two ranking following his silver medal at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland. He also won the ISAF Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik this year as well as a bronze medal at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami in January and silver behind Tom Burton in Melbourne in December.
Both Burton and Wearn form part of a strong Australian Laser squad, which will be represented with six boats at Kingston, underlying the current strength of the Australian Laser program coached by Olympic bronze medallist Michael Blackburn assisted by former Australian Sailing Team athlete Ashley Brunning.
They will be up against a high calibre fleet, including Weymouth and Portland winner Philipp Buhl (GER), multiple world championship medallist Nick Thompson (UK) as well as five-time Olympic medallist and dual Olympic champion Robert Scheidt (BRA).
-YachthingAus