Paralympians clinch two silver medals and three Rio berths at IFDS Worlds 

SKUD and 2.4mR silvers as GBR qualifies all three berths for Rio Paralympic Games

British sailors came away with two silver medals and the maximum three qualifying berths for the 2016 Paralympic Games at the conclusion of the IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championships in Halifax, Canada, today (24 August).

Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell missed out on a sixth consecutive world title by the narrowest of margins in the two-person SKUD class, while Helena Lucas claimed silver in the 2.4mR class, just one point from overall winner Heiko Kroeger of Germany.

Their podium finishes, plus a fourth place by the British Sonar trio of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas, ensured that Great Britain earned qualification across the three Paralympic classes for the Rio 2016 Games at the first time of asking.

Defending SKUD World Champions Rickham and Birrell finished their regatta tied on points with the Australian Paralympic Champions Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch, but lost on countback after the 11-race series.

The British Sailing Team duo went into the final day of the event three points adrift of the Australian pair, and went on the attack at the start of the final race in a bid to reduce the deficit – a move which came perilously close to paying off. 

“Today we were forced to take it to Dan who was in the lead, and we did that for the first time,” Rickham recounted.

“We were trying to push him over the startline a bit.  That didn’t happen but we basically stopped him on the line, and then sailed him to the back of the fleet.

“We were right up there but it was very, very bandy on the course, the pressure wasn’t stable.  Downwind on one of the runs we dropped out of the pressure and that was what sealed our fate as we then couldn’t catch up with the Canadians who won the race. 

“That would have given us the point we needed, but to be fair, we needed to have done the job earlier. Yesterday was pretty critical and that was where the mistakes were made.”

Although Rickham admits that she and Birrell were disappointed to have not extended their World Championship winning streak, the Epsom sailor says that they have learned some vital lessons in their quest to upgrade their Paralympic bronze medal to a gold one in two years’ time.

“At the end of the day, we knew it was going to be difficult [to win here].  We already have five world titles – the only one that we really care about now is Rio, and this is all part of the learning towards that. 

“I’d be lying if I said Niki and I weren’t disappointed, but the reality is that we can both be pretty proud of our showing this week. “It’s been a tough week for everybody on all of the courses, as the scorelines have shown, so I think to come away with a medal from this venue is quite difficult and we can be proud of that.” Paralympic Champion Helena Lucas also narrowly missed out on the top step of the podium in the one-person 2.4mR class, claiming her second straight World Championship silver. She went into Sunday’s final day in a three-way battle for the title with Germany’s Kroeger and Damien Seguin of France and in spite of finishing ahead of her two key rivals in the final race, it was not quite enough to displace Kroeger at the top of the table. Lucas rued a couple of abandoned races earlier in the week which could have affected her fortunes, but overall was happy with her display on Canadian waters. “It’s been a good week – a good old tussle at the front.  I was really consistent – my starts were pretty good generally, and my speed was right up there too,” said the Southampton sailor. “I think when the conditions got really tricky I was actually sailing really well, and managing to keep popping the results in in the top six or top ten and not get any big scary numbers like some of the others were getting.  I was adapting to the different conditions that we were getting quite well.” “It’s always a nice thing to get country qualification out of the way at the first opportunity,” Lucas continued.  “It’s great that I was really fighting it out with Heiko and Damien and that there was a bit of a gap behind us. 

“I’m going quick, but I know I can go quicker.  To check in with those guys and feel like you’re going pretty well already when you’ve still got more to come is pretty encouraging.”

Portland-based Megan Pascoe fought back to fourth place overall, after a difficult start to her regatta which saw her handed a black flag disqualification in the very first race of the series.

The duo will both have another shot at World Championship honours next month when the 2.4mR Open World Championships take place in Toronto.

In the three-person Sonar fleet, John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas were denied the opportunity to improve upon their fourth place when a lack of wind made racing impossible on their course on the final day. Stodel insists, though, that the team is in a good place and is more motivated than ever towards the goal of Rio glory.

“When we look back, it’s frustrating now because it’s not a medal and we wanted to come away with a medal from here.  But actually when we look at it, we sailed incredibly well as a team and there are a lot of positives to be had from it, although maybe not right at this minute!

“We know we’re quick, especially in the light winds which could bode well for Rio, the boat is going well and we’re working incredibly well as a team.”

“We are good enough to win gold medals – that’s the bottom line.  Now there’s a definite fire to prove that we are at the top of the fleet and we are the best.”

For further information and full IFDS Worlds results, visit www.ifdsworlds2014.ca

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