Race Day 9 - 49er Report
Written by RYA | 06 August 2012
British 49er sailors Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes remain firmly in contention for silverware as they head in to Wednesday’s final medal race.
Despite a mixed day for the British 49er team on the spectator Nothe course at Weymouth and Portland today (Monday 6 August), they sit in fifth place overall, six points behind Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang (DEN) in bronze medal position.
The boys scored a 17th and seventh from their two races today but with each point worth two in that final race Morrison and Rhodes still have a medal in their sights.
The 49er medal race is scheduled for 1pm on Wednesday (8 August), putting the boys once again back on the Nothe course. The Australian pairing of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen have gold already wrapped up ahead of the race while Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) are also guaranteed silver.
Morrison said: “We have now got a fantastic opportunity to go out there in the medal race and put in a great performance. Given how random that course is we should go in with a good chance of winning a bronze medal.
“It was a pretty disappointing day for us today with some wacky racing, which didn’t quite seem to go our way. The first race we thought we were in a really good position but just seemed to be constantly on the wrong side of things, making it very frustrating. We have still got a pretty good chance of going out there and doing well.
“We came to this event to win the gold medal and that is no longer possible, so that’s disappointing. Nathan and Iain thoroughly deserve it, they have sailed fantastically. Apart from the Aussies, everyone has had mixed results. It’s a very high standard of fleet and the courses have been throwing up some very shifty conditions.”
The Olympic Sailing Regatta runs from Sunday 29 July – Saturday 11 August.
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