Flying Dutchwomen and Brilliant Brits strike early gold as Hyères prepares for medal races
After five days of racing two champions have already emerged a day early from the 900 competitors in the the 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM. Incredibly, the flying Dutchwomen, Odile van Aanholt & Annette Duetz, won the women’s 49er in their penultimate race. Meanwhile, Britain’s John Gimson & Anna Burnett were almost as dominant as they claimed the Nacra. Both beat the reigning Olympic champions in their fleet.
For the rest, it was a test of stamina and concentration as much as speed and skill as light and fickle winds greeted the fleets and some spent over six hours on the water trying to get their races.
More steady easterlies promise a magnificent finish in the Bay of Hyères for the medal races tomorrow.
Golden starts to gold fleet in Hyères as Olympians begin to swoop
All ten Olympic classes were on the water in building easterly winds as the top of the 900 competitors in 670 boats from 66 nations from the first three days split into gold fleets at he 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM.
The pressure cranked up several notches and cracks appeared in many of the podiums, as some of the dominant forces of the opening three days fell away as they faced all the best boats together for the first time. Across the fleet, Olympic medal winners who had struggled earlier in the week began their rise.
Friday could be trickier with light 6-8 knot easterlies in the morning veering south in the afternoon.
Sixty-one year old Olympic champion makes the Hyères cut a week after appendicitis
If there was any doubt about the level of pressure at the 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM as the crews raced on day 3 to make the qualification cut for gold fleet they should speak to the Argentina’s Olympic champion, Santiago Lange.
The Med’s famous Mistral pushed the sailors to their limits and beyond on day 2 of the 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM. Glorious sunshine and 23-knot+ westerlies building throughout the day and gusting towards 30 welcomed the fleets in the Bay of Hyères.
Big wind specialists relished a rare chance to spread their wings, but for some - even Olympic medalists - it was the windiest conditions they had ever sailed in.
Mistral makes for fast, fun (and sometimes furious) Semaine Olympique Française opener
The 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM opened in classic Côte d’Azur conditions with unending sunshine and a 25-knot Mistral mixing it up across fleets. It was a day for flying, punctuated by nosedives, capsizes and white knuckle rides in short steep waves. The 49er and FX fleet were the only boats in the 10 Olympic classes unable to race.
For more than 50 years, the elite of Olympic sailing have been journeying to Hyères, the historic jewel of the French Riviera, at the end of April. Over the years, the Semaine Olympique Française - Toulon Provence Méditerranée has become an unmissable event for every national team. In 2023, for its 54th edition, Hyères will have the pleasure of once again welcoming the world's best Olympic sailors in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.