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The Official
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The top two remain unchanged in the latest release of the Open ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Adam Minoprio (NZL) completes his seventh consecutive release in the world #1 spot, followed by fellow young gun Torvar Mirsky (AUS).
Triple Olympic gold medallist and TeamOrigin skipper Ben Ainslie (GBR) remains in third position having been runner-up at Match Race France in Marseilles.
Three French sailors hold top ten positions in the rankings, Mathieu Richard, Damien Iehl and Sebastien Col. Mathieu Richard (FRA) has moved up the leaderboard from seventh to fourth after his impressive victory on home waters in Marseilles and Damien Iehl won the Vll Open de Espana in Calpe in May.
For the second time Francesco Bruni (ITA) has made big gains to move up to ninth with a third place finish at Match Race France. Peter Gilmour (AUS) has also moved into the top ten by campaigning on the ISAF World Match Race Tour.
Former ISAF Match Racing World Champion, Ian Williams (GBR) starts his 2010 campaign at stage two of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour in Germany. Beaten by the new match racing rock star, Adam Minoprio at last years Monsoon Cup, Williams also faces stiff opposition including Mathieu Richard, Torvar Mirsky, Bjorn Hansen (SWE), sailing legend Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and Ian Ainslie (RSA).
Also competing at Lake Constance in the Open category will be Kathrin Kadelb of Germany, who will be the first female skipper to ever compete in Match Race Germany. Another female skipper who has risen steadily up the Open rankings is Sally Barkow (USA), she has gone from #93 to #66 helped by a win at the Match Race Clinic & Regatta in Newport.
Mickel Hestbaek of Denmark has made a huge leap from #120 to #67 aided by a second position at the ISAF Grade 3 Spring Cup in Skovshoved, Denmark.
One to watch for the future will be twenty three year old young gun Phil Robertson (NZL) who recently won the Korea Match Cup Qualifier securing his entry to the ISAF World Match Race Tour event in Korea.
Click here for the Open Rankings
Women's Rankings
British skipper Lucy Macgregor remains at the top of the Women's ISAF World Match Race Rankings. Second and third sports remain unchanged with Claire Leroy (FRA) stayng in second and Katie Spithill in third. Three French crews hold places in the top ten teams followed by USA and Australia with two teams each.
Despite a lowly sixth at the fourth regatta of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, Macgregor holds on to her first position with a solid performance at the Eurosaf European Match Racing Championship were she was runner-up. Claire Leroy won the sail-off for third in Hyeres but it was not enough to regain the top spot.
Katie Spithill of Australia maintains her third spot with a win at the ISAF Grade 2 Olympic Garda Eurolymp regatta.
Although she only moved one place from fifth to fourth in the rankings Silke Hahlbrock of Germany made a big point gain with an impressive win at the Semaine Olympique Francaise against Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) in the final. Silke and her team also scored a seventh place at the Eurosaf European Championships in Hard, Austria.
Biggest improver by far is Ekaterina Skudina from Russia who sailed a very consistent regatta series to become the 2010 Eurosaf European Match Racing Champion in Lake Hard. Two British teams looking to challenge Lucy Macgregor's status are Katie Archer and Mary Rook who finished second and third respectively at the International Women's Match Racing Criterium in Calpe thus rising up the ranks into the top 50.
Tamara Echegoyen of Spain has made the biggest gain going from #84 to #51 aided by a tenth place at the Semaine Olympique Francaise and a fourth at the Criterium in Calpe.
Most of the top teams now head to the fifth regatta of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Medemblik at the end of May to resume battle in the Elliott 6m class.
Click here for the Women's Rankings
This next release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings will be on 19 May 2010.
ISAF World Match Race Rankings - www.sailing.org/mrrankings