Australia’s Matt Wearn will have to wait another day for his shot at glory as the wind completely deserted Marseille for the Men’s Dinghy Medal Race.
They will now attempt to get the race away tomorrow on the first of two scheduled reserve days.
While the date of the race may have changed the equation has not.
Wearn has secured at least a silver medal, and with his 14-point lead over Pavlos Kontides he must finish no more than six places behind the Cypriot and show every endeavour to start and finish the race to claim his second consecutive Olympic title.
“The girls tried to go out and get something done, but they decided it just wasn’t enough,” Wearn said after the Women’s Dinghy Medal race was also postponed. “Waiting around on the on the beach isn’t fantastic, but it’s just what you’ve got to do.”
The failing winds mean Wearn hasn’t raced for the past two days now, but it isn’t something the reigning World Champion is going to let bother him.
“I think in sport you’ve got to be pretty good at switching on and off. It’s no different in the longer term as well, that there is a possibility that we could be racing tomorrow or even the next day.”
Wearn showed his typical composure as he sat patiently and plotting alongside coach Rafa Trujillo throughout the day.
“Watching Matt in the pit lane he seemed very cool and confident awaiting the decision to either go out or place the boat back in quarantine and head back home for a reset,” noted Australian Olympic Sailing Team Leader Iain Brambell.
The Medal Race will be broadcast live on Channel Nine and on 9Now.
Wearn won’t be the only Aussie competing in a Medal Race tomorrow, with fellow Western Australians Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas securing their place in the Mixed Dinghy Medal Race by finishing their qualifying series in ninth.
“Mixed emotions about today,” said Jerwood after racing. “I think some of the mistakes are going to haunt me for a little bit, but we’ve still got another day tomorrow and we’ll keep fighting.”
Women’s Kite got one race in before the wind dropped right out, with Breiana Whitehead posting a ninth to stay in Medal Series contention.
The young Mixed Multihull team of Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown will take a lot out of their debut Olympic campaign and will be a team to watch in the future after finishing their qualification series in twelfth place, just outside Medal Race qualification.
“Twelve months ago, if you told me I would have finished thirteenth at the Games I would have told you that’s unbelievable,” said Liddell. “I feel like we had the speed to be up with the top guys so it’s a bit of a shame to not be in the top ten, but still pretty happy to be here.”
So history awaits Wearn on the waters of Marseille tomorrow. When his head hits the pillow tonight it will no doubt be filled with dreams of Gold, and just a little bit more wind.
Paris 2024 Olympic Regatta standings
Men’s Dinghy (43 entries)
1st: Matt Wearn (AUS) 12, 2, 1, (18), 1, 2, 10, 10 – 38 points
2nd: Pavlos Kontides (CYP) 17, 5, (27), 5, 10, 5, 3, 7 – 52 points
3rd: Stefano Peschiera (PER) 6, 1, 14, 11, (20), 14, 12, 4 – 62 points
Women’s Kite (20 entries)
1st: Lauriane Nolot (FRA) 2, 1, (12), 2, 6, 1 – 12 points
2nd: Eleanor Aldridge (GBR) 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, (21 DNS) – 12 points
3rd: Daniela Moroz (USA) (7), 3, 4, 1, 2, 7 – 17 points
7th: Breiana Whitehead (AUS) (12), 5, 7, 6, 9, 8 – 35 points
Mixed Dinghy (19 entries)
1st: Lara Vadlau & Lukas Maehr (AUT) (20 BFD), 5, 3, 1, 7, 1, 5, 2 – 24 points
2nd: Jordi Xammar Hernandez & Nora Brugman Cabot (ESP) 5, (6), 5, 3, 6, 3, 3, 6 – 31 points
3rd: Keiju Okada & Miho Yoshioka (JPN) 1, 2, 2, 6, (14), 12, 9, 3 – 35 points
9th: Nia Jerwood & Conor Nicholas (AUS) 6, (20 UFD), 7, 7, 3, 16, 8, 15 – 62 points
Mixed Multihull (19 entries)
1st: Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti (ARG) 1, 1 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 6, 6, (20 UFD), 5, 2 – 27 points
2nd: Mateo Majdalani & Eugenia Bosco (ARG) 2, 2, 5, (10), 6, 6, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, (12) – 41 points
3rd: John Gimson & Anna Burnet (GBR) 8, 4, 6, 3, 4, (9), 4, 5, 4, 5, 1, 3 – 47 points
13th: Brin Liddell & Rhiannan Brown (AUS) 11, 11, 13, 13, 12, 7, 9, 12, 13, 6, 14, (17) – 121 points
Women’s Dinghy (43 entries)
1st: Marit Bouwmeester (NED) 4, 1, 2, 4, 2, 3, 3 11, (20) – 30 points
2nd: Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) 7, (26), 7, 2, 8, 4, 15, 4, 4 – 51 points
3rd: Line Flem Hoest (NOR) 11, 3, (19), 7, 2, 12, 14, 3 – 71 points
20th: Zoe Thomson (AUS) 12, (37), 22, 11, 16, 6, 19, 35, 15 – 136 points
Men’s Windsurfer (24 entries) – Complete
1st: Tom Reuveny (ISR) 1 GF
2nd: Grae Morris (AUS) 2 GF – SILVER MEDAL
3rd: Luc Van Opzeeland (NED) 3 GF
Women’s Skiff (20 entries) – Complete
1st: Odile Van Aanholt & Annette Duetz (NED) 5, 1, 1, 10, 8, 5, (19), 3, 2, 15, 4, 14, 6 MR – 74 points
2nd: Vilma Bobeck & Rebecca Netzler (SWE) 14, 6, 15, 4, 15, 10, 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, (17), 2 MR – 76 pts
3rd: Sarah Steyaert & Charline Picon (FRA) 2, 2, 2, 8, 2, 2, 12, 11, 10, (18), 6, 10, 12 MR – 79 pts
9th: Olivia Price & Evie Haseldine (AUS) 6, 8, 16, 7, 11, 3, (20), 10, 9, 10, 10, 12, 18 MR – 120 pts
Men’s Skiff (20 entries) – Complete
1st: Diego Botin Le Chever & Florian Trittel Paul (ESP) (16), 6, 4, 5, 11, 2, 3, 2, 2, 15, 12, 6, 2 MR – 70 pts
2nd: Isaac Kale McHardie & William McKenzie (NZL) 1, 3, 8, 8, 1, 1, 11, (18), 17, 1, 10, 15, 6 MR – 82 pts
3rd: Ian Barrows & Hans Henken (USA) 8, 7, (17), 9, 9, 5, 10, 7, 3, 2, 8, 12, MR 8 – 88 points
15th: Jim Colley & Shaun Connor (AUS) 19, 17, 10, 14, 10, 9, 12, 3, 10, 3, 16, (20) – 123 pts
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