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Belcher and Page extend lead

 

Belcher and Page extend lead

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AOC

Australian sailors Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page have extended their lead on day four of the 2012 470 World Championship in Barcelona, Spain.

Australian sailors Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page have extended their lead on day four of the 2012 470 World Championship in Barcelona, Spain.

The pair went into the finals series with a perfect six wins from six races and even though they didn’t keep the record going Belcher and Page have moved further ahead of the fleet.

The defending World Champions took a six point lead into the finals, finishing the day with a second and a fifth to be 20 points clear of Israeli crew Gideon Kliger and Eran Sela.

“Today was another good day for us, our streak is over but very happy with our performance today,” said Belcher. “The conditions were very challenging and we tried to make the most of the cards we were dealt.

“You can certainly feel the change of pace in the fleet today being the first day of gold fleet,” he said. “Everyone was closer to the line, pushing the boat harder and taking more risks.”

The crews spent much of the day on shore until the breeze filled in, finally able to begin racing around 4pm.

“We raced in between eight and 12 knots today and it was very shifty,” said Page. “There were big differences on either side of the course and both sides paid at different times.

“If you look at the results it was a wonderful day, we didn’t go out to maintain the winning streak and it wasn’t our best day in the boat but it was as good as it could have been in these conditions and against a strong fleet,” he said.

Four more gold fleet races remain before the final 10 boat medal race on Saturday.

Sam Kivell and Will Ryan have moved up one spot to be 11th overall following a fifth and a 21st. The pair is 13 points away from a spot in the top 10 with four races remaining.

Elise Rechichi and Belinda Stowell made the decision to stay on shore on Wednesday as Stowell continues to recover from a back injury.

“My back is coming along quite well but we had made the decision earlier in the week to sit today out and give it a rest,” said Stowell. “Our goal is the Olympic Games and we’re continuing to work towards that and develop as a team.

“While it’s disappointing to miss a day of racing in gold fleet at a World Championship we made the decision to take a break today and it’s for the best,” she said. “The back is further ahead of where we thought it was going to be at this stage and I’m continuing to test it each day.”

Strong cold winds batter Laser fleet

Day two of the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship has served up cold conditions and strong winds in Boltenhagen, Germany.

After the opening four races Krystal Weir is the leading Australian sailor in 13th overall.

The leader board is incredibly congested with Weir sitting on 18 points, just four points off seventh and a further 10 off the leader, Great Britain’s Alison Young.

Weir finished fourth in race one, trading places with the leaders for much of the race before crossing the line 10th in race two.

"It was a very cold and windy day here in Boltenhagen today,” said Weir. “I finished with a fourth and a 10th which are ok results wise.

“I made a few mistakes today so I’m happy to finish with the results I did considering that,” she said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow so I can work on my starts and back my game plan.”

Alexandra South is 53rd following a 30th and a 29th with Caitlin Elks finishing 49th and 46th to be 111th overall.

In the under-21 division South is now sixth overall, ahead of Elks in 30th.

Meanwhile, in Falmouth, England, day four of the Finn Gold Cup was cancelled due to a lack of wind.

Conditions were a stark contrast to the day before keeping the crews on shore for the day.

Brendan Casey is currently 13th overall, with Oliver Tweddell 38th.

Three races are now scheduled for Thursday with 18 to 20 knots and large seas expected.

Yachting Australia

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