Conditions Deny NZ Duo Shot At Medals In Spain

07 April

Two of New Zealand's top sailors were denied a final medal tilt as the breeze disappeared on the last day at the Princess Sofia Regatta.

Still, they will leave Palma encouraged by their progress as the build-up to the Olympic Games intensifies.

Josh Armit missed out on bronze in the men's windfoil by two points when race management abandoned the medal series due to a lack of wind overnight. He had to settle for sixth - his overall position at the end of qualifying.

"Not having the chance to race in the medal series was a tough end to an overall positive regatta for me," Armit said.

"Finishing two points from third is as close as I've come to a medal [at the event] but I'm happy with how I sailed."

Armit, who was 22nd at the iQFOIL world championships in Lanzarote in early February due to a series of "silly mistakes", limited the errors this week to put together a consistent regatta, winning two of his 10 races including one in the gold fleet.

"This event was a lot better [than Lanzarote]. I was making better decisions and felt a lot sharper and I'm looking forward to going again [at the French Olympic week] in Hyeres in three weeks."

Veerle ten Have suffered similar disappointment in the women's windfoil, being stuck ashore after heading into the medal series in excellent form following back-to-back bullets in qualifying.

The Tauranga sailor finished 10th overall after making the podium last year.

Armit and ten Have are two of nine sailors confirmed for the Olympics in July and August, with Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson (Nacra 17), Tom Saunders (ILCA 7), Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie (49er) and Jo Aleh and Molly Meech (49erFX) also recently securing their spots.

While Wilkinson and Dawson managed to sail in the Nacra 17 medal race before the wind faded, it was one they'd rather forget.

"We were too punchy on the start line and it cost us a final chance to move forward," Wilkinson explained.

The pair were 10th in the finale to drop two spots to seventh overall, after a busy home summer of training with Dutch crew Laila van der Meer and Bjarne Bouwer.

"It was our first regatta of the season but we didn't come back to the fleet as strong as we wanted to be," Wilkinson said. "Everyone’s found a click more pace so we have to step up. There were a few positives though - we're operating well as a team and also took a race win."

Saunders, too, is focusing on the gains from a tough week.

The ILCA 7 veteran ended his competition in 10th overall with 10th place in the medal race.

"It was a challenging week, to say the least, as very high scoring in many of the classes suggests, but we weren't without opportunities," Saunders said.

"It wasn't my best work, but a few things I have been working on went well, so that’s pleasing. The next event should be more of a dress rehearsal for the Games with a short turnaround, so I'm looking forward to that."

Kitefoilers Justina Kitchen, Lucy Bilger and Lukas Walton-Keim all qualified for the gold fleet in Palma, as did Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush, and Mattias Coutts and Henry Haslett (49er), Greta Pilkington (ILCA 6), and Thomas Crook and Stella Bilger (wingfoil).

Final results and standings from the 2024 Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Mixed 470 fleet (68 boats)

1. Camille Lecointre/Jeremie Mion (Fra) 5 5 3 1 9 5 9 (12) 1 - 38 points

2. Jordi Xammar/Nora Brugman (Esp) 4 1 4 4 2 9 (24) 1 14 - 39 pts

3. Malte Winkel/Anastasiya Winkel (Ger) 1 2 15 11 2 4 14 (28) 7 - 56 pts

44. Derek Scott/Rebecca Hume (NZ) 22 15 17 (35BFD) 22 26 15 7 9 - 133 pts

49erFX (48 boats)

1. Jana Germani/Giorgia Bertuzzi (Ita) 10 9 1 1 6 3 11 14 2 (19) 4 9 2 1 - 73 points

2. Helene Ness/Marie Ronningen (Nor) 1 1 3 6 2 15 3 1 5 (21) 6 4 21 6 - 74 pts

3. Misaki Tanaka/Sera Nagamatsu (Jpn) 8 1 13 12 9 14 6 2 1 1 14 5 7 (24) - 93 pts

26. Jo Aleh/Molly Meech (NZ) 5 3 15 16 (25BFD) 13 1 6 4 2 - 65 pts

49er (85 boats)

1. Diego Botin/Florian Trittel (Esp) 10 4 7 7 1 9 1 1 3 7 1 4 16 (22) 4 - 75 pts.

2. Hernan Odini/Fernando Becerra (Uru) 2 1 5 11 1 5 8 (16) 11 9 11 1 3 11 2 - 81 pts

3. Lukasz Przybytek/Jacek Piasecki (Pol) (30BFD) 1 2 7 2 13 3 2 9 1 9 3 2 21 8 - 83 pts

17. Seb Menzies/George Lee Rush (NZ) 4 7 12 7 8 11 (20) 13 19 8 7 20 20 7 - 143 pts

24. Mattias Coutts/Henry Haslett (NZ) 7 6 3 10 (30DNF) 20 24 22 1 21 10 24 18 13 - 179 pts

67. Francesco Kayrouz/Hamish McLaren (NZ) (30BFD) 22 24 20 23 7 13 - 109 pts

ILCA 6 fleet (116 boats)

1. Maria Erdi (Hun) 4 5 (36) 8 11 7 6 7 19 5 18 - 90 pts

2. Zoe Thomson (Aus) 8 9 8 9 3 24 (38) 8 6 14 8 - 97 pts

3. Matilda Nichols (GBR) 1 10 5 3 5 20 20 29 (59UFD) 3 4 - 100 pts

44. Greta Pilkington (NZ) 9 30 32 14 49 45 50 22 11 (57) - 262 pts

ILCA 7 fleet (193 boats)

1. Michael Beckett (GBR) 2 1 1 1 12 6 (66BFD) 1 2 6 4 - 36 pts

2. Philipp Buhl (Ger) 1 1 5 14 (38) 1 13 3 12 18 12 - 80 pts

3. Jean Baptiste Bernaz (Fra) 6 2 1 7 19 5 (27) 19 10 7 18 - 94 pts

10. Tom Saunders (NZ) 4 5 16 31 18 2 32 (57) 18 3 20 - 149 pts

101. Caleb Armit (NZ) 34 49 22 23 (54) 24 34 - 186 pts

154. Dylan Forsyth (NZ) 49 44 (54) 48 15 48 9 - 213 pts

Nacra 17 fleet (48 boats)

1. Ruggero Tita/Caterina Banti (Ita) (29) 15 1 14 1 1 3 3 6 19 2 1 1 10 - 77 pts

2. Gianluigi Ugolini/Maria Giubilei (Ita) 8 11 5 3 7 10 16 (27) 5 9 8 3 6 16 - 107 pts

3. John Gimson/Anna Burnet (GBR) 6 1 3 15 3 14 19 (24) 4 5 11 4 24 4 - 113 pts

9. Micah Wilkinson/Erica Dawson (NZ) - 4 12 20 5 22 8 4 (37) 1 12 14 13 8 20 - 143 pts

Women's windfoil (76 boards)

1. Mina Mobekk (Nor) 3 1 (77DNC) 1 (18) 1 11 5 - 22 pts

2. Maya Gysler (Nor) 4 (7) 6 2 5 2 3 (19) - 22 pts

3. Lola Sorin (Fra) 2 14 5 (23) 2 (33) 5 9 - 37 pts

10. Veerle ten Have (NZ) (25) 4 (77DNF) 16 10 20 1 1 - 52 pts

32. Stella Bilger (NZ) 29 31 15 (49) (36) 26 25 21 - 147 pts

Men's windfoil (108 boards)

1. Pawel Tarnowski (Pol) 1 1 1 1 1 1 (19) (2) 9 3 - 18 pts

2. Nicolas Goyard (Fra) (7) 2 5 3 7 5 4 (55DNC) 3 1 - 30 pts

3. Yun Pouliquen (Fra) 1 8 10 5 (16) (12) 2 7 7 5 - 45 pts

6. Josh Armit (NZ) 3 3 2 (13) 6 6 1 (10) 1 25 - 47 pts

33. Thomas Crook (NZ) 15 9 (55DNF) 3 (32) 19 15 15 25 25 - 126 pts

Women's kitefoil (34 boards)

1. Breiana Whitehead (Aus) 5STP 2 (8) 1 3 2 2 (6) 3 2 4 6 2 2 1 5 2 (9) 1 - 42 pts

2. Daniela Moroz (USA) 1 1 (4) 2 1 1 1 (4) 1 3 1 1 1 (35UFD) 3 1 1 1 2 - 20 pts

3. Leonie Meyer (Ger) 6 10 1 3 2 4 (17) 9 6 1 2 2 3 1 (35DNC) (35DNC) 3 3 3 - 56 pts

14. Justina Kitchen (NZ) 14 13 19 8 10 12 (20) 8 9 13 9 17 (35DNC) 14.30RDG 13 6 15 (30) - 180.3 pts

26. Lucy Bilger (NZ) (35DNC) (35DNC) 22 22 30 27 21 19 21 21 21 23 (35RET) 35DNC 21 35DNC 20 25 - 363 pts

Men's kitefoil (59 boards)

1. Maximilian Maeder (SGP) 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 (31DNC) 1 (4) 2 2 (13) 1 1 1 1 - 20 pts

2. Riccardo Pianosi (Ita) 1 (31DNC) (11STP) 1 4 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 4 3 1 3 (26DNC) 6 2 - 31 pts

3. Denis Taradin (Cyp) 8 4 3 6 5 5 3 2 2 4 2 (10) 6 4 (26DNC) (26DNC) 6 3 3 - 63 pts

22. Lukas Walton-Keim (NZ) 5 17 16 6 17 (31DNC) 5 6 8 9 16 9 (23) (21) 21 20 11 20 - 186 pts

© Scoop Media