Olympic gold medallists Nathan Outteridge (NSW) and Iain Jensen (NSW) have arrived in Argentina to contest the 49er/FX South American Championship with racing starting tomorrow, Thursday, 5 November 2015 (5-8 November 2015 local time, AEDT +14hrs).
The South American Championship is the warm-up event to the season’s highlight, the 2015 49er/FX World Championships, which will follow from 16-22 November 2015. Both events will be held at Club Nautico San Isidro in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A total of four Australian Sailing crews will be competing at both events including Australian Sailing Team’s (AST) Olympic gold medallists Nathan Outteridge (NSW) and Iain Jensen (NSW), David Gilmour (WA) and Rhys Mara (VIC) as well as Joel Turner (QLD) and Lewis Brake (QLD). Australian Sailing Squad’s Will Phillips (VIC) will be joined by his brother Sam Phillips (VIC). The 49erFX crew of Tess Lloyd (VIC) and Caitlin Elks (WA) complete the Australian contingent in Argentina.
Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will look to build their performance in the lead up to the Rio Olympic Games after a silver medal at this year’s ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyères and finishing outside the podium at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth and Portland (sixth), Open European Championships (fourth) as well as a sixth place the Rio Olympic Test Event in August.
The Australian 49er teams have prepared for their season highlight at Outteridge and Jensen’s home Wangi RSL Amateur Sailing Club on Lake Macquarie.
“We’ve been putting in some hard yards training with the squad in the lead up to the Worlds in Argentina. With Rio (Test Event) ending we had a few things to work on and the result obviously wasn’t great for us. We’ve identified that there’s quite a bit of boat handling we needed to work on and a bit of speed stuff as well,” Nathan Outteridge said about the scope of their training camp.
A total of five 49er athletes are currently on the Australian Sailing Team showing the depth of talent in Australia and the depth of the squad coached by Olympic gold medallist winning coach Emmett Lazich (NSW) as crew Iain Jensen explains.
“The Australian training squad has definitely been getting a lot stronger over the last four years. We’ve got Dave and Rhys who’ve come through and got seventh at the last Worlds and there are Joel and Lewis, who’ve had some really good events. And the Phillips brothers have been around for a while and have always been quick. It’s the strongest Aussies squad we’ve had, at least in the time I’ve sailed the 49ers. It’s the first time we’ve had three 49ers in the AST.”
And about the significance of the World Championships Jensen added: “The Worlds are a pretty important regatta for us. It’s got to do with funding and Olympic selection. And generally, we have to make use of every regatta from here to the Games, trying to learn as much as we can along the way and start posting some good results.”
In the 49erFX Australian Sailing Squad’s Tess Lloyd (VIC) and Caitlin Elks (WA) have been back on the water for a couple of months after Tess recovered from the ankle injury she sustained at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth/Portland in June. They will be the only Australian 49er FX crew to represent Australian Sailing in Argentina.
Australian Sailing Squad’s Olympic silver medallist Olivia Price (NSW) and Eliza Solly (VIC) will not be competing at the World Championships, but will continue their on-water rehab training in Australia after a knee injury had sidelined crew Eliza Solly following the Weymouth/Portland World Cup.
The 49er/FX South American Championships will race over four days, Thursday 5 November through to Sunday 8 November 2015, from 10:55 local time (AEDT +14hrs). Follow www.facebook.com/AusSailingTeam for daily updates.
The 49er/FX World Championships are scheduled to start racing on Monday, 16 November from 10:55 local time (AEDT +14hrs) with Qualifying Races over three days. Opening Series over three days. Fleet Races are scheduled for Thursday, 19 – Saturday, 21 November. The Medal Race is scheduled for 14:55 local time on Saturday, 21 November (AEDT Sunday, 22 November 3:55 a.m.).
– Cora Zillich
