London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Mat Belcher and crew Will Ryan made a good start to their Olympic regatta and are lying second overall after day one.

Under gray, rainy and windy skies in Rio, the pair had a few nerves in the first race, where they had to fight their way back into the top 10, eventually finishing in eighth position.

However they came back to win the second race thanks to good boat speed and exceptional handling skills in the challenging conditions. 

“Today’s conditions were probably some of the most difficult I’ve experienced here, if not in my career,” said Belcher.

“The Games are meant to be difficult and challenging and we saw that today.  Will and I were really happy.  We were back in the fleet in a lot of cases and fought our way forward to post two good results.

“Coming back and getting that win in the second race was important for our confidence.  We’re really well prepared coming into this event.  We’re in good shape mentally, good shape physically and the boat is going well.  It’s nice to have had our first win of the regatta.”
Guanabara Bay served up a full range of conditions.  With seven different courses on the bay, Australia’s sailors experienced a diverse range of challenges.

For the Nacra 17 class, sailing close to Flamengo Beach under Sugarloaf Mountain, the gusty and shifty conditions for the first race dropped away, meaning they were only able to complete two of today’s three scheduled races.

The Aussies are lying fourth overall after crossing the line in sixth and eighth in today’s two races.

Sydney-sider Tom Burton also found today’s conditions tough.  The Aussie, who was lying fourth overall overnight, scored a 9 and a 14 today and is currently lying fifth overall.  The Laser class still has four races remaining in the preliminary series before the top 10 go through to the Medal Race on Monday (Rio time).

In the Laser Radial, Ashley Stoddart is in 11th position overall after crossing the finish line in 11th place in both today’s races.

Meanwhile in the 470 women’s event, Carrie Smith and Jaime Ryan completed their first two Olympic races today.  A challenging first race saw them cross the finish line in 17th, but they fought back in the second to cross the line in eight place.  They are currently lying 12th overall.

In the Finn class, Jake Lilley is currently lying 15th overall after posting an eighth and a sixth today.  It was a good performance for Lilley today, and he will be looking forward to completing another two races tomorrow.

Racing continues tomorrow in the 470 Men, 470 Women, Finn and Nacra 17, with the Laser and Laser Radial having a reserve day off.

Megan McKay

olympics.com.au