Race Day 10 - 470 Men Report
Written by RYA | 07 August 2012
470 Boys "Primed and Ready to Attack"
Olympic debutants Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell know they have won at least a London 2012 silver medal - but the British 470 Men only have their eyes on gold as they head into their medal race showdown with Australia on Thursday (9 August).
Scores of third and second for Patience and Bithell at Weymouth and Portland today (Tuesday 7 August), coupled with two firsts for the Australians Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page, ensured that the top two teams cannot now be overtaken with just the final double points’ medal race to come.
Four points separate the leading Aussies and the Brits in second meaning that to take gold at their first ever Olympics Patience and Bithell need to finish with just one boat between them and their Australian rivals in Thursday’s race.
Stuart said: “We are primed and ready to attack - we are ready! It’s absolutely certain that they will come hunting us down for us to finish last and them second last so it’s going to be a good one to watch that’s for sure! We’re going to need that crowd now more than ever. We are on the podium already so are over the moon. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Luke said: “There is one boat that won’t be as happy, confident or positive as us right now and that is the Australians who are in first looking back at us. While we are looking forwards to attack, they are having to defend. I would much rather be us!
“We are in a win-win situation. It’s theirs to lose and ours to win. We can’t get worse than silver, what a nice place to be in. We are just going to go out there to do all we can. It’s our first Olympics, we are happy boys but we didn’t come here to get second, we came here to win the Olympic Games and that is firmly within our grasp.”
The Men’s 470 medal race is scheduled for Thursday (9 August) at 1pm on the spectator Nothe course.
The Olympic Sailing Regatta runs from Sunday 29 July – Saturday 11 August.
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