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Aussie sailors prevail in Germany

 

Aussie sailors prevail in Germany

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AOC
Aussie sailors prevail in Germany

World champion 470 crew Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page capped off a successful Australian campaign in the ISAF World Cup series that augurs well for Australia's 2012 Olympic prospects.

World champion 470 crew Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page capped off a successful Australian campaign in the ISAF World Cup series that augurs well for Australia's 2012 Olympic prospects.

Belcher and Page and boardsailor Jessica Crisp claimed gold medals in the final World Cup event at Kiel, Germany on Wednesday.

Krystal Weir (Laser Radial) and the women's match racing crew skippered by Nicky Souter won silver medals and fellow match racer Olivia Price's crew took bronze.

Belcher and Page topped off a wonderful World Cup campaign by winning the Kiel Week Trophy for the best score by any crew across all classes as they claimed their gold by a whopping 31 points after winning seven of the nine races.

The win also assured Belcher and Page of their second straight World Cup series crown with three gold and two silver medals across the seven rounds.

"We started the season well at home and in Miami but then struggled a little when we came to Europe," said Belcher.

"To get back on track while on the rollercoaster over here and pick up two wins and a second from the final three events was important for us.

"And to have the world number two and three crews here gave us a good opportunity to see where were at."

Three-time Olympian Crisp won gold in Kiel in the RS:X women's class, sailing consistently all week to win by seven points after finishing top five in 10 out of the 11 races.

She went into the medal race with just a single point lead but sailed well in the shifty conditions to finish ahead of Blanca Manchon of Spain, the current female ISAF World Sailor of the Year.

The win allowed her to finish second overall in the World Cup series standings.

Souter and her match racing crewmates Jessica Eastwell and Lucinda Whitty faced off against Russian skipper Ekaterina Skudina in the best-of-five races final and lost 3-1 but were delighted with a silver medal in just their second regatta together as a crew.

Earlier they'd beaten Price's crew in the semi-finals.

Victorian Weir took her silver medal by placing third in her final race, having been in the top eight in every race.

The Victorian sailor had a consistent week, finishing in the top eight in every race, sailing well in the varied conditions which challenged all of the crews.

While he did not compete in Kiel, Australia's three-time world champion Tom Slingsby won the World Cup series Laser class title following his two wins, a second and two thirds.

AAP

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