The strong east wind that arose this morning for the final day of the Medal Races of the 55th edition of the SOF forced the race committee to cancel the finals. Men's and Women's double-handed dinghies (49er, 49er FX), mixed double-handed dinghies (470), and Men's and Women's single-handed dinghies (ILCA 7 & ILCA 6) remained ashore. Yesterday's rankings are official and serve as the basis for declaring the winners. The French crew, Camille Lecointre and Jérémie Mion, claim victory in the mixed double-handed dinghies (470).
The scenery changed today on the water of the Hyères harbor and the Golden Isles. While the sun quickly returned after a heavy day of rain, it was the wind that took center stage on this final day of the SOF. By late morning, a whitened water surface greeted the skeptical eyes of the sailors. With winds gusting at 30 to 40 knots, needless to say, the race committee couldn't send out any finals. While the spectacle could have been remarkable, safety prevailed. No races can commence in a steady wind blowing at more than 25 knots.
The last categories were thus grounded, and yesterday's rankings become the final overall rankings for Men's and Women's double-handed dinghies (49er, 49er FX), mixed double-handed dinghies (470), and Men's and Women's single-handed dinghies (ILCA 7 & ILCA 6).
In the results, in the Women's single-handed dinghy (ILCA 6), American Charlotte Rose wins the SOF ahead of Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester and Norwegian Line Flem Hoest. The French sailors finished 11th (Marie Barrue), 17th (Louise Cervera), and 19th (Pernelle Michon).
"I didn't expect to win here in Hyères, so I'm really satisfied with the work I delivered. The conditions were a bit tricky because we could only start racing on Tuesday. It took everything we had, and I'm proud of what I did," commented Charlotte Rose.
In the Men's single-handed dinghy (ILCA 7), Englishman Michael Beckett is declared the grand winner ahead of Australian Matt Wearn. German sailor Philipp Buhl takes the bronze medal. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz finishes 7th.
"This week has been tough and challenging. It was cold, and we had a lot of wind and a lot of irregularities in its strength. I'm really happy to have won here in Hyères," confided Michael Beckett.
In the Women's double-handed dinghy (49er FX), the Dutch pair Odile Van AAnholt and Annette Duetz prevail ahead of the Swedes (Bobeck/Netzler) and the New Zealanders (Aleh/Meech). The two French duos finish 8th and 9th respectively.
"This is my second consecutive victory here in Hyères; I love the racecourse, but this year has been more challenging with a lot of wind variations. We didn't have real stress on the race, but of course, we always want to do well. We were able to work on several aspects of our sailing, and finishing with a victory is fantastic. We are competitors first and foremost. We love to win," commented Odile Van AAnholt.
Spaniards Diego Bottin and Florian Trittel claim the title in the Men's double-handed dinghy (49er) ahead of the Poles Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki. The French duo Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin finish third.
"We were able to compete this week with all the nations qualified for the Olympics. We were able to complete 14 races in difficult conditions, and that was very positive. This victory, along with the victory in Palma and the podium at the Worlds, gives us a lot of confidence for Paris 2024. This was our last event before the Games. We just have to finalize the details to arrive well prepared in Marseille," confided Diego Bottin and Florian Trittel.
Leading yesterday, the French duo Camille Lecointre and Jérémie Mion take the top spot on the podium of this SOF 2024 in the mixed double-handed dinghies (470). The Swedes Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlosson are second, and the English Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris are third.
"Unfortunately, we are used to winning without sailing on the last day. That's what happened at the Worlds and in Palma. We learned our lesson well, and yesterday morning before starting the races, we had in mind that the weather could keep us ashore for the finals. We made sure to finish well on Friday to secure the victory just in case. The more points ahead, the better. The stated goal was not necessarily victory. We had good speed compared to our opponents in the wind conditions we had. That's rather positive. We worked on starts and especially validated the boat, which is brand new. We had only 20 minutes of sailing with this boat, so it's quite a nice surprise to win today," confided Camille Lecointre and Jérémie Mion.
The French delegation leaves Hyères with a tally of two gold medals and three bronzes. One more medal than in 2023.
See you in 2025 for the 56th edition of the French Olympic Week, which will return to a classic format.
"My impression of this SOF 2024 is one of amazement. Amazed by several things, especially its exceptional nature because it's the first time World Sailing has decided to allocate Olympic tickets at an event, and we did it in Hyères. It's a real source of pride, and I thank all the organizers. We've organized something big and beautiful. The athletes are happy, which is very positive. We had a tough week on the water in terms of conditions, but with incredible work from all the race committees. We leave with 5 medals, even though from the perspective of the French Sailing Federation, we didn't really have specific goals for the SOF. The teams mainly used this event to test equipment and train for the Olympics. They met our expectations," confided Jean-Luc Denéchau, President of the French Sailing Federation.
"The 55th French Olympic Sailing Week was once again the scene of exceptional races on the magnificent nautical 'stadium' bordered by the Golden Isles in the Hyères harbor. All meteorological conditions were met to distinguish the nearly 1000 competitors from 89 countries in the 10 Olympic sailing classes and to allocate the last qualifying spots for the Olympics. Despite significant safety constraints, this event was a real success and dress rehearsal less than 100 days from the Games. I want to thank all the municipal teams as well as the numerous volunteers for their contribution and involvement in the organization of this major nautical event in our region. Finally, I wish good luck to all the competitors who will compete for an Olympic medal in a few months," commented Jean-Pierre Giran, Mayor of the city of Hyères and President of Toulon Provence Méditerranée.