NZL finish 4th at Nacra 17 World Championships

NZL finish 4th at Nacra 17 World Championships

Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders have finished 4th at the 2015 Nacra 17 World Championships which has concluded today in Aarhus, Denmark.

4th is New Zealands best result ever at a Nacra 17 World Championship Regatta. Jones and Saunders placed 9th in 2013 (the Hague, Netherlands) and then 5th (Santander, Spain) in 2014 indicating a promising upward trend from the young kiwi pair who formed their sailing partnership in 2013.

A total of nine races were sailed over the six day regatta where crews were challenged with a wide range of conditions.

Jones and Saunders managed to finish within the top ten in seven of those nine races and capped the regatta off with a 2nd place in today’s medal race. Lying 5th ahead of the medal race, it was enough to lift them into 4th by just one point.

21 year old Jones and 24 year old Saunders are New Zealand’s top hopes in the mixed multihull class which will be sailed for the first time at the Olympic Games next year in Rio.

The title went to Billy Besson and Marie Riou of France who are defending champions and now three time winners of the Nacra 17 World Champion crown.

Gemma Jones represents Auckland’s Murrays Bay Sailing Club, while Jason Saunders hails from Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club. Saunders represented New Zealand at the London Olympic Games sailing in the Men’s 470 class with Paul Snow-Hansen where they finished 5th. He was also a member of the NZL Sailing Team crew that won the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in 2013.

The next major event for Jones and Saunders is the up-coming 2015 Rio Test Event which runs from 13 – 22 August in Brazil. There they will be part of the seven strong kiwi contingent competing in the Olympic dress rehearsal regatta on Guanabara Bay.

The second New Zealand crew of Olivia Mackay (Napier Sailing Club) and Micah Wilkinson (Ngaroto Sailing Club) missed out on the top 33 crews for the gold fleet finals racing however they went on to take a race win and wrap up the regatta in 2nd place in the silver fleet.

2015 Nacra 17 World Championships current standings…
Full results here

4th Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders
35th (2nd silver fleet) Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson

ENDS

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