The other six Olympic fleets - 470, ILCA 6 & 7, Nacra 17, 49er, and FX - have their Medal Races tomorrow - Saturday - in what are forecast to be more easterly, but similarly light breeze. Barring an overnight protest and penalty in the 470 mixed dinghy, Germany’s Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort are uncatchable with a 21-point lead and Nicholas Halliday the same in the ILCA 7 with a 23-point lead.
470 (mixed double-handed dinghy)
39 entries
Two races today
1st - Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort - 31 pts
2nd - Jordi Xammar Hernández & Marta Cardona Alcántara - 52
3rd - Giacomo Ferrari & Alessandra Dubbini - 57
Despite some bigger numbers in the light airs, Germany’s Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort have mathematically secured the gold medal before the Medal Race tomorrow with a lead of 21 points over Spain’s Jordi Xammar Hernández & Marta Cardona Alcántara.
Diesch & Markfort were 25th in the first race but were keeping half an eye on their closest rivals, the Spanish, who were 18th. It was a discard for both. And the Germans were ninth, one place ahead of the Spanish in the second race.
It allowed the Italian duo of Giacomo Ferrari & Alessandra Dubbini to cut a deficit to the Spanish of 18 to just five with a small cushion of six points to fourth place.
Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort (GER) :“Feeling pretty good, but cooked after today, but overall super happy with the whole week and we managed to pull our head out of the noose after the first race. We did see them (the Spanish) but just to make sure they had a discard, but not doing anything actively.
For tomorrow, I mean, we’re at all these regattas because we want to sail the best, so that's what we’ll try to do tomorrow. Obviously, we’ll try to keep our heads out of any special contests, we don’t want to be the reason for flipping points. But we will still try our best tomorrow.”
ILCA 6 and 7 - (women’s & men’s solo dinghy)The biggest fleet of boats in the regatta with 112 entries in the ILCA 7 and 76 ILCA 6.
ILCA 6
Three races today
1st - Charlotte Rose (USA) - 25 pts
2nd - Chiara Beninin Floriani (ITA) - 26
3rd - Emma Plasschaert (BEL) - 34
Only one race was possible for the ILCA 6 as the wind dropped and it was a brutal one for all the lead group, but where they could discard, Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert, with a disqualification earlier in the week could not.
USA’s Charlotte Rose leads Italy’s Chiara Beninin Floriani by just a point in shootout for gold at the top, but Plasschaert, eight points back will still be in the hunt. As will Denmark’s Anna Munch, just a point behind Plasschaert in fourth.
ILCA 7
One race today
1st - Nicholas Halliday (HKG) - 40 pts
2nd - Duko Bos (NED) - 63
3rd - Thomas Saunders (NZL) - 65
Hong Kong’s Nicholas Halliday capped one of his best ever regattas by taking third place in the only race of the day in fading afternoon airs, as his rivals fell away to guarantee him gold tomorrow in the Medal Race. Thomas Saunders won the race to leap into third and just two points behind Netherland’s Duko Bos, who struggled home in 24th. Three more boats behind have a chance of catching them.
Nacra 17 (mixed double-handed catamaran)
29 entries
One race today
1st - John Gimson & Anna Burnett (GBR) - 43 pts
2nd - Gianluigi Ugolini & Maria Giubilei (ITA) - 50
3rd - Brin Liddell & Rhiannan Brown (AUS) - 54
Like the ILCAs the Nacra could only get in one race in the dying wind but it was enough to extend their lead to seven points over the Italians, who will need to put four boats between them in the Medal Race to take gold. They will have to look over their shoulders too with three boats close behind. The Australians are just four points behind with the next two on equal points two points further back.
49er (men’s and women’s double-handed skiff)
Women’s FX (38 entries)
Three races today
1st - Isaura Maenhaut & Anouk Geerts (BEL) - 131 pts
2nd - Lara Granier & Amélie Riou (FRA) - 144
3rd - Georgia Lewin-France & Antonia Lewin-France (CAN)- 146
After winning the third and final race of the day as their rivals faltered, Belgium’s Isaura Maenhaut & Anouk Geerts, will feel they have one hand on the gold medal. They are 13 points ahead of French, who until they finished 25th in that third race had been leading. The women’s skiff has been even bigger scoring and violently swinging than the men’s, so rule nothing out.
But the French will now need to put seven boats between them and Belgium duo, in a 10-boat final, to win gold. More likely is a three-way battle for silver and bronze with the Canadian Lewin-France sisters, two points behind and USA’s Paris Henken & Helena Scutt, one point behind in fourth.
Men’s 49er (67 entries)
Four races today
1st - Hernando Umpierre & Fernando Diz (URU) - 88 pts
2nd - Nevin Snow & Ian MacDiarmid (USA) - 91
3rd - Richard Schultheis & Fabian Rieger (GER) - 100
A week of high scores in the men’s skiff continued in the light airs yesterday as the leaderboard swung around. Uruguay’s duo of Hernando Umpierre and Fernando Diz have re-taken the lead but 14th place in the last of the day’s four races means they go into the Medal Race with a lead of just three points over the USA duo of Nevin Snow & Ian MacDiarmid, who finished third in that last race to stay in second overall. Germany’s Richard Schultheis & Fabian Rieger jumped into third place by winning the last race but are nine points behind USA, so will need to put five boats between them to take silver. They will also have to look over their shoulders because despite a tough day, Britain’s leaders going into today, James Grummett and Rhos Hawes, are only six points off bronze.