Sunday, August 17, 2008

Olympic Sailing Update...


(L-R) Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson of Great Britain celebrate Olympic gold.

Ben Ainslie celebrates winning his third Olympic gold medal.


Getty Images
QINGDAO, China (AP) - Britain's Ben Ainslie won his third-straight Olympic sailing gold with a commanding win in Sunday's final Finn class 'medal race.'
American Zach Railey took the silver Sunday during his games debut, while Guillaume Florent of France won the bronze.

Ainslie, 31, was guaranteed at least silver on overall points heading into the medal race, and only the 24-year-old Railey could have threatened his gold. Ainslie has previous golds from 2004 and 2000, as well as a silver from 1996, and came on strong in the medal final, which counts double.
"It was totally different today. I was able to change the game plan a bit against Zach and sail my own race a little more. So I'm very happy to have won it," he said.

"The goal was to win gold, and with the conditions being stronger, it was easier for me to go out and use my speed and my fitness," said Ainslie, who has a gold in the Finn for 2004, as well as a gold in 2000 and a silver in 1996 in the Laser class.

Only Danish sailor legend Paul Elvstrom has won more Olympic sailing gold medals, with the four he won between 1948 and 1960.

Railey, a 24-year-old Olympic first-timer, said he had met his goal of taking a medal.
"I picked up the silver medal and it all came out like I hoped," he said.

The British sailor led all the way, while Railey was sixth in the 10-boat fleet, securing enough points to clutch his silver. Florent finished fourth in the final to take the bronze.

Current Standings for U.S. Sailors (for full results please visit http://www.sailing.org/olympics/racing/olympicresults.php)
Star: 16 boats
1. Kusznierewicz and Zycki (POL), 5, 6, 8, 2; 21
2. Rohart and Rambeau (FRA), 12, 1, 5, 4; 22
3. Loof and Ekstrom (SWE), 1, 4, 15, 3; 23
5. John Dane and Austin Sperry (USA), 8, 2, 4, 12; 26

Finn: 26 boats
1. Ainslie (GBR), (10), 1, 4, 1, 1, 10, 2, 2, 2; 23
2. Zach Railey (USA), 2, 5, 2, 2, 7, 8, 7, (19), 12; 45
3. Florent (FRA), 5, 8, 20, 3, 4, 6, 4, (21), 8; 58

Laser Radial: 28 boats
1. Volungeviciute (LTU), 3, (13), 8, 1, 1, 4; 17
2. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA4, 5, (6), 5, 6, 3; 23
3. Jo Aleh (NZL), (22), 4, 2, 2, 2, 14; 24

Yngling: 15 boats
1. Ayton, Webb and Wilson (GBR), 2, 3, 4, (7), 4, 2, 2, 5, 2; 24
2. Mulder, Bes, Witteveen (NED), 9, 1, 2, (13), 1, 5, 4, 1, 8; 31
3. Bekatorou, Papadopoulou, Kravarioti (GRE), 10, 12, 9, 3, 2, (OCS), 3, 3, 6; 48
7. Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe, Debbie Capozzi (USA), (14), 2, 8, 5, 6, 11, 1, 10, 18 ; 61

49er: 19 boats
1. Warrer and Ibsen (DEN), 2, 4, (10), 4, 2, 3, 4, 2, 9, 2, 7, 8, 14; 61
2. Martinez and Fernandez (ESP), 1, 10, 17, 2, (20/OCS), 5, 7, 10, 3, 4, 1, 2, 2; 64
3. Peckolt and Peckolt (GER), (15), 6, 11, 6, 3, 2, 2, 12, 4, 5, 4, 7, 4; 66
6. Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast, 5, 14, 15, (16), 5, 10, 1, 1, 1, 3, 8, 4, 22/DNF; 89

Tornado: 15 boats
1. Echavarri and Blanco (ESP), 1, 6, 1, 4; 12
2. Bundock and Ashby (AUS), 5, 4, 3, 1; 13
3. Paschalidis and Trigonis (GRE), 2, 5, 12, 7; 26
13. John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (USA), 14, 12, 7, 11; 44

Laser: 43 boats
1. Goodison (GBR); (15), 2, 15, 1, 9, 7; 34
2. Zbogar (SLO), (24), 4, 14, 6, 2, 11; 37
3. Alsogaray (ARG), 1, 12, 10, (28), 14, 1; 38
19. Andrew Campbell (USA), 14, 18, 1, 26, 32, (44/BFD); 91

Men’s 470: 29 boats
1. Wilmot and Page (AUS), 4, (7), 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, (16), 3, 10; 42
2. Coster and Coster (NED), 11, (15), 12, 2, 8, 15, 2, 8, 4, 2; 64
2. Charbonnier and Bausset (FRA), 6, 3, 8, 1, 6, 18, 3, 14, 7, (20); 66
13. Stu McNay and Graham Biehl (USA), 26, 12, (30/OCS), 17, 15, 1, 4, 1, 6, 23; 105

Women’s 470: 19 boats
1. Rechichi and Parkinson (AUS), 2, 2, 4, 1, (9), 4, 2, 5, 3, 2; 25
2. De Koning and Berkhout (NED), 3, 1, 9, 5, 2, 2, 10, 7, 4, (16); 43
3. Oliveira and Swan (BRA), 11, (16), 5, 10, 7, 6, 6, 2, 7, 4; 58
14. Amanda Clark and Sarah Mergenthaler (USA), 12, 12, 10, 14, 4, (17), 7, 6, 17, 7; 89

Men’s RS:X: 35 boards
1. Ashley (NZL), 4, (7), 7, 1, 5, 5, 3; 25
2. Bontemps (FRA), (13), 1, 5, 4, 10, 8, 2; 30
3. Zubari (ISR), 1, 3, 1, 3, 17, 6, (19); 31
26. Ben Barger (US), 21, 22, 24, 26, 26; (32), 25; 144

Women’s RS:X: 27 boards
1. Yin (CHN), 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, (13), 7; 16
2. Sensini (ITA), 6, 2, 9, 1, (28/DSQ), 3, 2; 23
3. Crisp (AUS), 2, 4, 3, 8, 1, 8, (9); 26
26. Nancy Rios (USA), 25, 24, 22, 26, 24, 27, (28/DNF); 148