The five Kieler Woche victories in the Olympic classes that the German Sailing Team was able to achieve last year at Kieler Woche remain out of reach this year. However, this is due to a positive trend: international participation in some classes at Kieler Woche has increased significantly again. The upward trend after a few lean years is good for the competition.
And the German Sailing Team will not start the final day of the 123rd Kiel Week on Sunday without any hopes. After all, 17 German teams have qualified for the final medal races of Kiel Week in eight Olympic disciplines. But only a few have a chance of winning. One of the hopefuls is Laser helmsman and defending champion Philipp Buhl from Sonthofen. The 27-year-old four-time Kieler Woche winner will start the medal final in second place, just four points behind the leading Estonian Karl-Martin Rammo. "That means we have a realistic chance of winning, even if it won't be easy," said Buhl.
In the 49erFX, the defending champions Tina Lutz (Bergen) and Susann Beucke (Strande) only have a theoretical chance of winning Kieler Woche gold, but can still win a medal, as can Berlin's Olympic ninth-placed Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz. In the 49er, Rio bronze medallists Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel can no longer win after breaking their mast on Saturday, but can still sail onto the podium. Jan Hauke Erichsen and Ann Kristin Wedemeyer from Flensburg are guaranteed a medal in the Olympic mixed catamaran Nacra 17. They will start the medal race in second place, but would have to put two teams between themselves and the Austrian Nacra 17 bronze medallist Thomas Zajac and his new foresailor Barbara Matz if they want to win the Kieler Woche.
In the 470, Frederike Loewe and Anna Markfort are only four points behind the Polish leaders Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Irmina Mrózek, thus also maintaining their chances of winning Kiel Week. In the men's 470, Australian Olympic champions Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan are now almost out of contention for victory. Simon Diesch and Philipp Autenrieth are battling for silver and bronze with the Poles Pavel Sozykin and Denis Gribanov. Malte Winkel and Matti Cipra, who are in fifth place, also still have a chance of winning a medal.
Heiko Kröger (Waldbröl) is heading for gold in the 2.4mR at the Para World Championships. Jens Kroker from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein in Hamburg is also aiming for a medal in third place. Kiel Week ends on Sunday with the medal races, which start at 10am.
The sailors had their work cut out for them overnight. On Friday evening, race director Ralf Paulsen sent 24 yachts from Kiel's inner fjord on the 130 nautical mile course through the Vendbord Sound and back to the Kiel lighthouse. After 15 hours, 38 minutes and ten seconds, the "Haspa Hamburg" crossed the finish line as the fastest yacht with Fabian Bläsi (Wedel-Schulau) at the helm. The "Bajazzo" of Sven Zoller (Elmshorn) in ORC I, the "Halbtrocken 4.0" of Michael Berghorn (Kiel, ORC II), the "One Group" of Niels Gauter (Hamburg, ORC III) and the "Ballerina 2" of Berend Beilken (Hamburg, ORV IV) won the trophies.
After the start, Ralf Paulsen had set off towards Denmark himself to time the boats at the exit of Svendborg Sound. Between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., he was able to register all his sheep that were still underway. Meanwhile, a well-rested crew from the race organisation sat on the Kiel lighthouse to register the finish times of the yachts. It was a long day on the tower, as it took around seven hours for all the crews to pass the line.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
