Olympic sailing: Final blown away by the wind, Schmidt/Boehme best DSV team
Tatjana Pokorny
· 05.04.2019
The 50th anniversary edition of the Spanish classic Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar came to a stormy end on Saturday. Unlike the other finals, the medal races in the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 disciplines could not be held due to the high swell in the bay of Palma de Mallorca. This did little to dampen the joy of Justus Schmidt and Max Boehme. The 49er crew from the Kiel Yacht Club achieved the best German result in the bay of Palma with fifth place. After a break of almost two years and five months of intensive training on several continents, Schmidt/Boehme were able to build on their previous form and place themselves confidently among the world's best. "I'm really pleased for them," says national coach Marc Pickel, "they've worked extremely hard and invested a lot. It's nice when it pays off like this."
Pickel was also satisfied with the overall result of the 49er team. Although the Miami winners and Rio bronze medallists Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel did not finish in the top ten in thirteenth place, they improved consistently according to the national coach. "You have to bear in mind that Erik and Thomas are the ones who have spent the least time on the water of all the top teams due to their study commitments. But we're on the right track and the goal remains unchanged: It will only be good if we win a medal at next year's Olympics. We're already on the right track."
The Kiel Nacra 17 sailors Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer stood out at the 50th edition of the Spanish series with more than 1200 participants from 67 countries with strong results, but also an unusually large portion of bad luck. They themselves took their setbacks bravely. The duo impressed with two daily victories and three third places, but the setbacks were not of their own making. A plastic bag on the rudder, a broken harness hook and a crash caused by the multiple Italian world champions Tita/Banti meant that Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer, who had started the regatta as front runners, were ultimately unable to finish higher than eleventh with three full points. The dry comment: "Throw us to the wolves - we'll come back and lead the pack."
With two crews each in the top ten, the German 49erFX crews Tina Lutz/Susann Beucke (7th, Chiemsee Yacht-Club/Hannoverscher Yacht-Club) and Vicky Jurczok/Anika Lorenz (9th, Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) as well as the young 470er sailors Frederike Loewe/Anna Markfort (8th, Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee/Joersfelder SC) were also among the top ten.Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) as well as the 470 sailors Frederike Loewe/Anna Markfort (8th, Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee/Joersfelder SC) and the young Hamburg sisters Luise and Helena Wanser (9th, NRV Olympic Team). For the Wanser sisters, it was their first medal final at a major regatta in the Olympic senior field. They confidently played to their light wind strengths.
Disappointed Laser helmsman Philipp Buhl had to bid farewell to Palma de Mallorca. The 29-year-old world number three from the Alpsee-Immenstadt Sailing Club finished the regatta in 33rd place, clearly underperforming, but receiving encouragement from many quarters. DSV sports director Nadine Stegenwalner, who was delighted for the successful team members on Mallorca, said: "Philipp has proven his world class so often. You can also experience an unfortunate series as a reliable guarantor of performance. I am convinced that he will soon find his strength again and show what sets him apart."
