The top ten in the standings will compete in the Final, where they will run two races. The points earned in the two races are added to the points accumulated during the final stages. The winner is the athlete with the fewest points.
470 (mixed double-handed dinghy)
The podium at the moment looks the same as Palma, but there is still all to play for. Spain’s Jordi Xammar Hernández & Marta Cardona Alcántara still lead but were not so dominant in the calmer conditions as they had been in the big easterlies mid-week. They finished second and fourth in the two races, and still have a significant advantage. But Italy’s Giacomo Ferrari & Alessandra Dubbini showed the skill they had in the light winds on Monday and Tuesday to win both races and move back into contention in fourth. Britain’s Martin Wrigley & Bettine Harris were fourth and then third to stay in second overall, with France’s Matisse Pacaud & Lucie de Gennes in third.
Nacra 17 (mixed double-handed catamaran)
A new leader and plenty of pressure tomorrow at the top of the Nacra leaderboard. Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani & Eugenia Bosco won the second and third races of the four yesterday to displace the Italians Gianluigi Ugolini & Maria Giubilei, who had won the first race but then had a tougher time. But they were third in the last to make the gap just two points.
Everything looked over for Italy’s double Olympic champions, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti, after they followed their gennaker tack breakage on Thursday by finishing 16th in the first race. But they came storming back in true champion fashion, to finish third twice and then win the final race. The Argentinians could only finish 13th. That took Tita & Banti back to fourth overall just behind the French duo of Tim Mourniac & Aloïse Retornaz,
49er (men’s and women’s double-handed skiff)
Women’s FX
The Italians love the light! As they had on the first two days of the week, Italy’s Sofia Giunchiglia & Giulia Schio dominated on Friday, winning three of the four races, to retake the lead. If they had not finished 17th in the third race they would have a more significant lead over Australia’s Laura Harding and Annie Wilmot, who struggled as the racing went on, finishing 2, 4, 13, 11. Some way behind them another four boats are closely bunched, but the conditions may be decisive on Saturday.
Men’s 49er
Big numbers all through the top of the leaderboard as the duos struggled in the conditions. China’s Zaiding Wen & Tian Liu are the new leaders, with the most consistent 8, 3, 4 finish. Some double digits saw France’s Erwan Fischer & Clément Péquin drop to second and Ireland’s Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove to third with gaps throughout the top 10 contracting to leave the podium open.
ILCA 6 and 7 - (women’s & men’s solo dinghy)
The leaderboard for women’s dinghy is as ever-changing as the men’s is constant and the ILCA 6 were by far the latest to finish of all the fleets on Friday adding to the drama.
ILCA 6
A second place finish in a complicated and late second and final race of the day saw Ireland’s Eve McMahon, the champion in Palma, finish back at the top of the leaderboard. She is just two points ahead of the 2024 SOF champion, USA’s Charlotte Rose, who came unstuck and finished 28th. But with big numbers all round a gap has opened below them after the Netherlands’ Maxime van de Werken-Jonker followed victory in the first race with 20th in the second.
ILCA 7
Australia’s double Olympic champion, Matt Wearn, won the first race of two yesterday and goes into the final tomorrow in dominant form and position. Wearn was one of a few disqualified in a complicated second race and Britain’s Michael Beckett was fifth to stay in contention and pull away from his British rival, Elliot Hanson, who was also disqualified. Hanson stays third and those immediately behind were not able to close the gap.