Olympic sailing: Wanser/Winkel win heart-stopping duel for Olympic ticket

Two German women's teams provided a thrilling duel for just one Olympic ticket at the 470 World Championship off Vilamoura. Qualified for the final medal race in eighth and ninth place after eleven world championship races, the showdown on Saturday between Theres Dahnke/Birte Winkel (Plauer Wassersportverein/Schweriner Yacht-Club) and Luise Wanser/Anastasiya Winkel (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) was a matter of being or not being Olympic this summer. Only one of the two teams, with which the two sisters-in-law Anastasiya Winkel and Birte Winkel also had to compete against each other, was able to fulfil their dream of competing in the Olympics.

The decisive duel, in which the World Championship medals for the German women with completely different goals were out of reach anyway and played no role, became a battle of nerves in light and unstable winds. It began with the race committee having to cancel the final twice in the pre-start phase and again shortly after the start. It was only on the fourth attempt that the ten best women's world championship teams were able to set off on the short but challenging course. After the stuttering start, it was already clear how Wanser/Winkel, who were one point behind before the medal race, would approach the national duel for the Tokyo dream: in match race style with close cover. Because all they had to do to turn the tide in their favour and seize their Olympic opportunity was to finish one place ahead of Dahnke/Winkel. Dahnke/Winkel had also prepared for this expected scenario, but were unable to escape it.

A few metres ahead is enough for Olympic luck

Of all things, Wanser/Winkel conceded a penalty in a duel with Dahnke/Winkel right at the start line on their fourth attempt to start the medal race. "We had to curl because we didn't keep clear when Theres and Birte stopped," Luise Wanser later explained the chaos at the line. However, Wanser/Winkel made a virtue out of necessity in the self-initiated match race with Dahnke/Winkel, looked focussed for the next gust after clearing the unsuccessful start in the unsettled conditions, saw it and tacked to the right, while Dahnke/Winkel went to the left. The gust gave Wanser/Winkel the decisive advantage. They were quickly able to get just ahead of their opponents. Despite persistent attacks from their pursuers, Wanser/Winkel did not relinquish their desired position with a focussed performance until the end of the race. At the finish line, the crew with the sail number GER 69 were just a few metres ahead of their opponents, while Theres Dahnke and Birte Winkel were narrowly beaten.

"We had thought before the race that we wanted to force them to make a lot of manoeuvres because we knew that we were better at boat handling. We trained extremely hard while they had to take a break," said Luise Wanser, explaining the strategy, which was also discussed with the Italian individual coach Riccardo de Felice - an important key to success for Wanser/Winkel. Another was the sporting fairness with which both German teams acted in the competitive situation. Things could have turned out differently given the tight starting position. Instead, the defeated team warmly congratulated their conquerors. Theres Dahnke, at 22 the youngest German coxswain at the World Championships in Portugal, said after the decision: "We had already exceeded our own expectations anyway, so we're not too sad. Luise and Anastasiya trained so much last year and are now strong in all conditions. We ourselves were unable to train for a long time due to injury..." This reaction from the mouth of a young competitive athlete whose Olympic dream had been shattered just an hour earlier because she was a few metres behind remains remarkably confident and fair. Theres Dahnke will now switch to the 470 mixed sailing discipline, which has been added to the Olympic programme for 2024, and has already found a highly motivated co-skipper in Matti Cipra.

DSV sports director Nadine Stegenwalner: "That was a fine art"

Before that, however, the 2020 Olympic regatta will take place in the summer, one year late due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the farewell gala for the Olympic 470 men and 470 women, who will be sailing for Olympic medals for the last time. Luise Wanser, 23, and Anastasiya Winkel, 27, have cleared all the qualification hurdles for their participation and, after just one year in the same boat and having now successfully competed in their first major regatta series together, can expect to be nominated by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) on the recommendation of the German Sailing Association (DSV). Its sports director Nadine Stegenwalner watched the elimination duel off Vilamoura on the water and said: "We saw two teams here with younger helmswomen who showed great performances and fought hard. That was high art. The fact that the elimination ended with such a thrilling duel in the medal race was not only challenging for the teams involved, but also very exciting for the fans. In the end, both crews showed that they can concentrate on the point - a very important quality at the Olympics. Stegenwalner personally congratulated the winners Luise Wanser and Anastasiya Winkel and said: "They have made very good use of the past year."

Luise Wanser and Anastasiya Winkel had to manage their rise to Olympic hopefuls last year with club support alone after many years of association sponsorship, having decided to launch a joint last-minute Olympic campaign in March 2020. This was preceded by the dissolution of their previous teams. Luise Wanser's sister Helena, with whom she sailed successfully for seven years and won the Junior World Championship title in the 470 in 2019, has switched to Olympic surfing and is training on the iQ Foil in Spain. Anastasiya Winkel's former helmswoman Fabienne Oster is already active in a new 470 mixed constellation with Luke Willim.

"My sister has played a big part in what we have now achieved"

Luise Wanser and Anastasiya Winkel have made a steep rise together to become the current German 470 number 1 with Olympic prospects. Luise Wanser is also grateful to her sister Helena, one and a half years younger than her, who unexpectedly travelled to Vilamoura from Spain to support her on the eve of the World Championship medal race. "We sailed together for seven years. She has played a big part in what we have now achieved. I'm grateful to her, our coach, our club and everyone who has helped make our journey possible," says the 1.70 metre tall helmswoman. NRV Club Manager Klaus Lahme has fond memories of Luise Wanser's start in sailing: "She is a true NRV native, having learnt to sail in the Opti on the Alster."

The ambitious and talented young coxswain, who has lived in Paris with her family for five years, has a clear goal: "We want to win a medal for Germany at the Olympic Games." She is already familiar with the Olympic venue, having spent three weeks there with her sister and coach Riccardo de Felice in 2019. "I really like it," she enthuses, "it's fantastic to sail in the big waves there."

Click here for the 470 World Championship results from Vilamoura.