Germany's Olympic aces on course for medals at the World Championships: Brilliant half-time results in Oman

Germany's Olympic aces continue to sail on the wave of success at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships in Oman: at the halfway point of the six-day series in the sunny Mussanah area off the Arabian Peninsula, Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer from Kieler Yacht-Club have taken the lead in the foiling catamarans on Nacra 17 hydrofoils. The bronze medallists from the Tokyo Olympics lead the field after nine races ahead of the British silver medallists John Gimson/Anna Burnett and the 2019 Italian world champions Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari.

However, the fast German mixed team warns against premature jubilation and continues to urge maximum concentration. "We also dropped a few points in the first three days, but on balance we are satisfied with the half-time result, even if the series is still long and nothing is decided," said helmsman Paul Kohlhoff. "Now we have to concentrate on the second half." The fact that his team would be able to act with such determination and success in Oman is not a matter of course after the late arrival of the material container, the correspondingly shortened preparation time and in view of the light wind conditions, which Kohlhoff and Stuhlemmer did not love. All the more convincing are the performances shown so far without any major interruptions.

The same applies to the German skiff sailors. The crews from the German Sailing Team, who had travelled to Oman primarily to secure their important squad places for next year, but are now also determined to fight for precious metal, are in an excellent position after the first three days: The 2018 World Championship bronze medallists Tim Fischer/Fabian Graf (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) and Jakob Meggendorfer/Andreas Spranger (Bayerischer Yacht-Club) are in second and third place after nine races. The front runners are Bart Lambriex/Floris van de Werken from the Netherlands. The World Championship ends on Sunday with the last races and the award ceremony.