Shaw spearheads RS:X Europeans challenge 

World number two windsurfer looks to upgrade 2013 Euros silver in Turkey

Bryony Shaw heads up a nine-sailor British Sailing Team squad vying for RS:X European Championship honours when racing gets underway in Cesme, Turkey, next week (30 June-5 July).  

The world number two windsurfer and Olympic bronze medallist claimed silver at last year’s event behind France’s Charline Picon, and will be joined by Izzy Hamilton and Podium Potential squad sailor Noelle Finch in the 54-strong women’s fleet when racing starts next week.  

“I’m looking forward to being in Turkey, where hopefully we’ll get the typically hot and windy conditions that you’d expect there,” Shaw explained.

“I’m expecting it to be a really physically demanding event, so physical preparation and hydration will be all-important as we’ll have an intense, three race a day programme.”  

Shaw kick-started her year winning gold at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami and followed it up with a dominant display on home waters at the EUROSAF Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth and Portland earlier this month, where she took the top spot of the podium ahead of Spain’s Blanca Manchon and teammate Hamilton.  

The 31-year-old has been pleased with her form, but expects tough competition within the class.

“There are a few new faces emerging in the fleet – the Dutch girl Lilian de Geus has been doing well this year so she’ll be one to watch, and last year’s winner Charline Picon will be among my key rivals.  It will be interesting to see the 2012 bronze medallist, Zofia Noceti-Klepacka of Poland as well, as we haven’t raced against each other since the Games.”  

“My coach Dom and I have had some great build up to this event, with our training blocks, followed by the Sail for Gold Regatta and a mini coach-run regatta at the World Championship venue in Santander.  That’s all been going really well and it will be great to put everything into practice at a major. 

“I’m confident with where I’m at at the moment, and it would be great to go one step further and win the European title this time.”

Six rising Podium Potential talents will contest the senior men’s division in Cesme, in the absence of World Champion and double Olympic medallist Nick Dempsey who’s opted to skip the event to focus on preparation for the Rio Test Event and the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander.  

Dempsey’s training partner Tom Squires will be joined by ISAF Youth World Champion Kieran Martin, plus Joe Bennett, Connor Bainbridge, Ali Masters and Sam Sills at the six-day event which sees 81 entries in the senior men’s class.  

The RS:X Youth Europeans are also being contested concurrently at the Turkish venue, with 11 British Youth Sailing Team boys and four girls set to do battle.  The event will be a final warm-up for ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship representatives Robert York and Imogen Sills before they head off to Tavira, Portugal.

Racing gets underway on Monday 30 June, with three races per day planned, except for a reserve day on Wednesday 2 July.  The final medal races are scheduled for Saturday 5 July.  

For news and results from the RS:X Europeans, follow us at www.britishsailingteam.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @BritishSailing

For further event information, visit http://www.rs-xeurope2014.com/

Rising British Sailing Team talents are also set to start Junior World Championship action this weekend, with Jess Lavery and Megan Brickwood racing in the 470 Junior Worlds (under 22 years) at Cervia, Italy (28 June-3 July), and the 49er and 49erFX Junior Worlds (under 24 years) also set to start in Aarhus, Denmark (28 June-1 July).  Flying the British Sailing Team flag there will be James Peters-Sam Batten and Jack Hawkins-Chris Thomas, and Vikki Payne-Steph Orton in the women’s 49erFX event.  

To keep track of their progress visit http://juniorworlds.470.org/  or http://49er.org/event/2014-junior-world-championship/