SAILING: It was a tough day for the Aussies on Guanabara Bay, as light conditions delayed racing in the early afternoon.
When racing finally got underway an hour later than scheduled, the day started well for Sydney cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin in the Nacra 17 class.
They won their first race of the day in compelling fashion, leading the fleet from start to finish.
However, the following two races proved a lot tougher for the Aussies finishing 12th and 17th.
The Aussies are currently fourth overall going into Tuesday’s medal race.
“We’re a bit disappointed, but we’re still in it,” said Waterhouse after racing today.
“It was a rough day for us. Yesterday was a rough one too.
"We executed the first race today really well. The second race was a keeper, but the last race was a shocker. We tacked off the start early and the fleet all went the other way.
“We’re ready to go for the medal race and we’ll fight hard for it.
"It’s going to be tricky because we came here to win the gold. We are fighters.
"We’re disappointed right now as we would have liked to have gone into the medal race in a better position than this. But in saying that our goal was to go into the medal race with the chance to win the gold and we’ve done that."
There was near heartbreak for Finn sailor, Jake Lilley, who came into today in third place overall but two results at the back of the fleet saw him finish the preliminary series in 11th place overall.
However, following the outcome from a late night protest which saw a competitor disqualified, Lilley’s points were adjusted and he moved up into equal eighth overall. Lilley was not a party in the protest.
“It’s great to have another opportunity to race against the best guys in the world, especially at my first Olympics,” said Lilley on hearing the news of his adjusted score.
“Today was obviously disappointing to lose my grasp on the bronze, but it is still a mathematical possibility in the medal race, so like every other day, I just can’t wait to get out there again and give my all in another race.”
Meanwhile in the 470 Men, Australia’s Mat Belcher and Will Ryan continue to hold onto second place overall, but are currently 11 points behind the Croatians who are leading their event.
The Aussies posted an 8th and an 11th in today’s two races, but have three races scheduled for tomorrow to complete their preliminary series.
“It was just a difficult day for us,” said Belcher after racing.
“Both of us felt ok but we struggled to get off the line a bit. There were a lot of the teams risking quite a bit.
“We’re proud of how we’re putting together our series.
"We’ve got to be a bit patient and keep fighting, Aussie style, right to the end.”
In the 470 women’s event, Carrie Smith and Jaime Ryan are also looking forward to the final three races in their preliminary series as the Aussies vie for a position in the top 10 to go through to the medal race.
The girls are currently in 11th overall after a 6th and a 13th in today’s two races.
Tomorrow Tom Burton will race off for a medal in the Laser class, while Ashley Stoddart will also compete in the Laser Radial event to determine her final result.
The 470 men’s and women’s classes are both scheduled to race three races, while the 49ers team of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will also race three races.
Racing kicks off from 1pm Rio time (2am AEST).
Megan McKay
olympics.com.au
