Wright makes it a podium double for GBR Finns
Written by RYA | 10 May 2014
Wright takes bronze alongside Scott's Finn Europeans victory
Ed Wright made it a double podium celebration for Great Britain at the close of the Finn European Championship on Saturday (10 May), claiming bronze on a breezy final day in La Rochelle.
Wright’s medal comes in addition to Giles Scott’s convincing event victory a day ahead of time on Friday (9 May), and ensures a second straight Europeans podium finish for the Bournemouth sailor, who claimed silver at the same event last year.
It was so nearly silver again for Wright, who needed just one more boat between him and the 2013 European champion Vasilij Zbogar in Saturday’s ten-boat finale to make the higher step of the podium.
But amid wet, windy and choppy conditions of 18-20 knots, Wright had to settle for sixth place in the medal race to Zbogar’s ninth to finish just one point behind the Slovenian on the leaderboard.
“Today I was probably more sailing for the security of the bronze,” the 36-year-old Wright admitted. “I didn't want to snap a mast out there in the river we sailed in. I didn't want to push it.”
“I am happy to come away with the bronze, but actually looking back it's so close, just one point would have made the difference, so I could have pushed a bit harder. Going round the top mark I was in second.
“A medal is always good, so that's why I'm happy, but now I have to get down to some real training and onto the test event and Santander.”
Meanwhile Portland’s Giles Scott, seemingly not content with his unassailable lead heading into the final day, finished his regatta off in style with another race win – his seventh from 11 races – in the double-points medal race to extend his final winning margin to a whopping 50 points over Zbogar.
“I thought there was a bit less tide on the right, so I went that way upwind, managed to cross the fleet and round in front of everyone,” explained the 26-year-old European Champion of his medal race approach.
“I then kind of stayed the same speed as the guys in second and third. It remained quite close and then Thomas [Le Breton] had a bit of a surge down the last run and we evened out and I just got him on the line.
“There were big choppy waves and there wasn't much speed difference to be had. It was very close racing as medal racing should be.”
“I have had a good 24 hours for it to settle in now,” said Scott of his event victory, “but I am very happy with how things are going at the moment and where I am at, and now I'm looking ahead to the bigger events later in the season.
“We have some training to do in the UK, and trips to Santander and Rio lined up.”
Andrew Mills was also in medal race action for the British Sailing Team, where he consolidated his overall sixth place, with fellow Podium squad sailor Mark Andrews ending his regatta in 11th.
In the Junior European Championships which ran concurrently for under 22-year-old sailors, Emsworth’s Peter McCoy finished as the fourth-placed Junior sailor (second European Junior) behind Australia’s Jake Lilley, reigning World Champion Jorge Zarif of Brazil, and Norway’s Anders Pedersen.
Click here for full Championship results.
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