Sailing World Championship: German Sailing Team shines on the North Sea, Kröger dominates

The national sailing team is getting better and better at the World Championships off The Hague. After nine of 15 races up to their Nacra 17 final, the Olympic bronze medallists Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer (Kieler Yacht-Club) have moved into the main round in second place behind the Italian Olympic champions Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti with another win on the day.

It's a great superpower to be able to deliver when it counts" (Paul Kohlhoff)

The Italians (8 daily victories in 9 races) and the German cat experts from the Kieler Yacht-Club (4 daily victories, 3 second places) were in a class of their own in the preliminary round with only eight and 14 points on their World Championship accounts. The British Olympic silver medallists from Enoshima, John Gimson and Anna Burnet, are in third place at the halfway stage of the foiling twin-hulls with 22 points so far.

However, as always during a regatta, Paul Kohlhoff urged caution: "A new race starts on Monday. We wanted to build up a lead here in conditions that suit us. We did that well. The World Championship is the most important regatta since Enoshima. And the most important task is to secure our place at the start of the Nations Cup. We are not focussing on others or the medals. We are only looking at ourselves."

Kieler Woche winners Diesch/Markfort advance to the top three

At the same time, Paul Kohlhoff raved about the World Championship area off Scheveningen: "It's great fun out there! There's always a wave and lots of current." When asked about the current quality of his crew, Kohlhoff said: "We've chosen the right equipment, a strong coach who understands the area well and two cool heads who work together better than they have for a long time. We want to continue like this."

In the 470 Mixed, the runners-up in the European Championship and Kiel Week winners Simon Diesch/Anna Markfort (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Joersfelder Segel-Club) had already moved up to third place on Saturday. The defending champions Luise Wanser/Philipp Autenrieth (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Bayerischer Yacht-Club) are 13th after four races. The 470 mixed fleet took a break on Sunday.

Buhl and Büsselberg open promisingly

In the Ilca 6, Julia Büsselberg (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) opened the World Championships on Sunday with a surprisingly strong start with second and eleventh place on the day. In the Ilca 7, Philipp Buhl (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) made a promising start to the world title fights with 3rd and 17th place despite a broken shackle on the boat in the second heat.

"The problem with the block perhaps made my life a little more difficult for one lap. But I had very good speed, which gave me confidence. I was able to recharge my batteries a bit," said the 33-year-old 2020 World Champion from the Allgäu region about his start in the largest World Championship fleet with 138 starters.

107 national starting places will be distributed in The Hague

Sailing on the North Sea is a positive experience for the two-time Olympian: "It feels like we're sailing in the middle of the ocean, further away from land than in other regattas. There are no hills, no land effects. You would expect constant winds, but they are not. Partly due to the influence of clouds, we have to deal with short or long gusts. It's fun out there."

At the North Sea Summit of the Olympic sailing world, around 1,200 athletes in ten disciplines will be competing for 107 and thus 50 per cent of the national starting places for the 2024 Olympics. The German Sailing Team is aiming to secure tickets early in as many of the ten Olympic sailing disciplines as possible.

The hegemony of Heiko Kröger

Parallel to the Olympic competitions, four series for para-sailors will also be held on the Braassemermeer near The Hague as part of the Sailing World Championships organised by the World Sailing Association. In the one-person keelboat 2.4 Norlin OD, 13-time world champion Heiko Kröger from Ammersbek is in the lead. The 2000 Paralympics winner has won six times in six races so far. In the daily summary from World Sailing, Heiko Kröger is described as "hegemonic".

"It's not as if I'm riding easily ahead of the field. I'm just a tad faster. But today the pond was really 'poisonous'. We were sailing close under land and you had to be able to read the turns well. It's flat all round, very different sailing to Kiel or Finland, but good wind. If you have to sail in an inland world championship area, then it's okay here."

"Lily" Xu sails Kröger's keelboat and tests other para-classes

The 2012 Laser Radial Olympic champion was also enthusiastic about Kröger and his boat: Chinese reporter Lijia "Lily" Xu was covering the Sailing World Championships in The Hague. During an interview with the 2.4 metre dominator, Heiko Kröger offered her the chance to get into the challenging keelboat and try it out for herself. She did so, suddenly had a lot more strings in her hand than on a Laser - and was thrilled. "I explained everything to her in detail the evening before. She thought it was great," says Heiko Kröger.

Jens Kroker (Yachtclub Berlin-Grünau) was in third place in the Hansa 303 after six races. On Monday, the kiters as well as the Ilcas, 470 Mixed, Nacra 17 and the Hansas will be challenged for the first time. The medals in a total of 14 competitions will be awarded between 16 and 20 August.

How do para-sailors prefer to start? Take a look at the report by Olympic champion Lijia "Lily" Xu:

And how do you actually pronounce Scheveningen in Holland - the name of the sailing-enthusiastic district of World Cup host city The Hague:

Click here for the results of the Sailing World Championships in The Hague.