Sailing World Championship: The double German chance

If you can, you can watch on Saturday live to: At 2.07 pm, two German 49er crews, Tim Fischer and Fabian Graf from Kiel and Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel from Berlin, will be sailing for World Championship medals! The two helmsmen from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein in Hamburg and their coxswains have earned their good starting position over the past week with strong and above all consistent performances. They would have liked to have got a little closer to the Croatian leaders Sime and Mihovil Fantela on Friday before the medal final. However, the GER boats lacked a little speed in more wind on Friday, as they themselves admitted. This made little difference to their world-class performances in twelve races. Together, the German skiff quartet of coaches Marc Pickel and Max Groy could sail to a historic success. But it won't be easy, because the experienced Frenchmen Mathieu Frei and Noel Delpech and the Brits Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell are waiting for their chance in fourth and fifth place.

And that's how the points are distributed ahead of the double-header final on Saturday afternoon (2.07pm):

1. Sime Fantela/Mihovil Fantela (Croatia): 62 points
2. Tim Fischer/Fabian Graf (Kiel, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee): 75 points
3. Erik Heil/Thomas Plößel (Berlin, Norddeutscher Regatta Verein): 80 points
4. Mathieu Frei/Noel Delpech (France): 89 points
5. Dylan Fletcher-Scott/Stuart Bithell (Great Britain): 92 points

The battle for the skiff medals will take place between these five teams. The Croatians, who were already Olympic champions in the 470 and switched to the 49er after 2016, have the best chances of winning gold with a 13-point lead over Fischer/Graf. Fantelas, previously regarded as light wind experts, impressed the competition on Friday with good speed even in stronger winds. Sime Fantela revealed the solution to the puzzle to YACHT online in Aarhus harbour: "We completed 30 days of strong wind training." One day before the final, Fantela didn't think it made sense for his crew to have a match race duel against Fischer/Graf to secure the gold medal: "That works in the Laser or Finn, but less well in the 49er. We'll sail the first cross as best we can and then see where we stand."

All teams involved in the upcoming 49er final thriller have various tactical options, but can hardly engage in individual duels. Tim Fischer said: "We want to defend the medal. No matter which one! At least we won't initiate a German duel." The more experienced Rio bronze medallists Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel, who conceded more points than they would have liked on the coxswain's 29th birthday and were only "medium satisfied", will start the final with an aggressive attitude and build on their experience: "We want to be runners-up in the world championship."

Capsize costs Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer a place in the medal race

The unluckiest German crew on Friday evening were Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer, who almost catapulted themselves into the medal final of the Nacra 17 catamaran sailors with another strong performance. However, their dream of a top ten result and early qualification for the nations in the mixed discipline was shattered within seconds. In race 11, the Kiel team were in the leading group on the way to the finish when they capsized spectacularly and with serious consequences, only finishing 27th. After Kohlhoff's serious operation and months of rehabilitation, the young crew got back on track surprisingly quickly - helmsman Kohlhoff is 23, his foresailor only 18 years old - but can bid farewell to the world championships with the realisation that DSV sports director Nadine Stegenwalner said: "The capsize almost hurt me for both of them. But in view of their performances, I'm not worried: we'll get this national ticket at the next opportunity."