Their starting position ahead of the medal race was more than challenging: in sixth place, Frederike Loewe and Anna Markfort had to make up 15 points to take bronze. At the same time, they needed help from their opponents and mistakes by the crews ahead of them. That sounded more like a theoretical chance than a real one. But the crew from the Seglerhaus am Wannsee club did not let this scenario upset them on Sunday. "In the morning we almost laughed and said to ourselves that we just had to win the medal race," said Loewe (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) after the coup. And that's exactly what the Berlin team did - and their brilliant victory in the final catapulted them to third place in the World Cup regatta in the upcoming Olympic venue of Enoshima. Almost more important to the duo than the bronze medal were the realisations that came with it: "The result showed us that we can sail even in light winds."
Tim Fischer and Fabian Graf do not share the light wind weakness of many German teams. On the contrary: the skiff sailors, who train in Kiel under the direction of Max Groy, like such conditions, but for their part have learnt in Japan's Sagami Bay that they are now also a force to be reckoned with in strong winds and high waves. As all-rounders, the 49er specialists competing for the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and the Seglerhaus am Wannsee club dominated their field in the main round of the World Cup opener, with the exception of the missing America's Cup winners Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. The German duo entered the final as front runners, but capsized in a heavy squall when setting the gennaker and had to watch as the Brits James Peters/Fynn Sterritt and the Austrians Benjamin Bildstein/David Hussl pulled away. Nevertheless, 24-year-old helmsman Tim Fischer and his 23-year-old cox Fabian Graf were delighted with their bronze medal. "We have shown that we are medal candidates if we are sent to the Olympic Games. The conditions suit us very well."
The 470 sailors Simon Diesch and Philipp Autenrieth (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Bayerischer Yacht-Club) and the Nacra 17 mixed crew Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer (Kieler Yacht-Club) achieved two further top ten results in sixth and eighth place. Their fields were also Olympic-calibre. After a dry spell and 13th place in the Olympic test regatta, Diesch/Autenrieth were able to improve once again at the end of an intensive one-and-a-half-month sailing phase. In Enoshima, where Olympic medals will be contested in June and August 2020, skipper Autenrieth said: "It's good to see that we can still perform even after three top-class competitions and six weeks of stress. And at a very good level - an important realisation for our qualification in the spring." In contrast to the 470 women, the German 470 men have not yet secured their place at the 2020 Olympics. After two missed opportunities, they only have one last-minute chance to do so next spring.
DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner, who spent several weeks with the team in Japan, said: "I am satisfied. Two medals and also good results in the 470 men's and Nacra 17 mean a good end to our time in Japan one year before the 2020 Olympic Games." All of the German national sailors at the regattas in Japan this summer benefited from the local environment that was created early on. Paul Kohlhoff reported: "Our containers in the port are incredibly well organised. There is an excellently equipped workshop and a room for team meetings and relaxation. We have the DSV and the German Sailing Team to thank for that. It's really valuable for us athletes."
Philipp Buhl, who regularly achieves top results in the Laser at the World Championships a year ago, was not satisfied. Above all, he did not fulfil his own expectations, as the Allgäu sports soldier has set his sights on a medal for his second Olympic participation next year. It is not because of the Japanese Olympic area that Buhl is not quite sailing the desired course yet. He appreciates that and says: "It's hot, and there's a lot of swell in places. That's really cool for the Laser! It's challenging in terms of wind. The waves are also challenging. I like that." National coach Alex Schlonski explains: "Of course we're not happy with the result. However, Philipp had much better starts than last time. He was really unlucky with his choice of side a few times and perhaps took a bit too many risks for the conditions, which still surprised us in places. There were also a few minor individual mistakes. We will analyse this and be prepared next time. We shouldn't overlook the fact that Philipp also won a race and finished the regatta on a positive note with sixth and ninth place, scoring points under pressure for the Olympic qualifiers."
In the Nacra 17, Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer from the Kieler Yacht-Club performed safely in the top ten as usual. The mixed catamaran crew only missed out on a much better result than eighth place due to a capsize on Thursday. Paul Kohlhoff's assessment was correspondingly mixed: "We can win medals if we deliver our best performance. But the overall package isn't quite right yet. We're working hard on that." Like all German sailors, the Kiel team appreciate the Olympic area. Kohlhoff: "It's a versatile area for all-rounders, where you have to be able to adapt well. You simply have to be strong in all conditions." Like so many crews in the German Sailing Team, Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer are also working on reducing their weakness in light winds. In strong and medium winds, they are on a par with the world's best.
Here for the final results of the World Cup regatta off Enoshima.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
