Sailing Double World Cup gold for Australian 49er and laser sailors
23 Sep 2009
Australia has won double gold, in the 49er and laser classes, in the United Kingdom’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta on 19 September. The regatta was the final round of the 2008/09 ISAF Sailing World Cup, in which Australia finished fourth with seven gold and silver medals and four bronze.
Australia sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen dominated the 49er class, going into the final with a commanding overall lead and winning the regatta on 40 points — 26 clear of Italy’s Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello on 66.
Australian Institute of Sport sailor Tom Slingsby also enjoyed an unassailable lead going into the final of the laser class with five out of eight races under his belt. Light winds caused the final to be abandoned shortly before it was due to start, making Slingsby overall winner. His final score was 10 points — 25 ahead of Cypress’s Pavlos Kontides.
‘It definitely wasn’t easy [but] the conditions here suit my style of sailing,’ said Slingsby of the regatta. ‘In Australia you grow up to live with strong winds.’
Australia also performed well in other racing classes, with Matthew Belcher and Malcolm Page finishing fourth in the 470 and Jessica Crisp’s fifth place in the RS:X.
The venue for the Skandia regatta, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, will also be the host for the sailing events during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
