World champion tames Olympic champion: Philipp Buhl keeps Robert Scheidt at bay

For the German world champion, it was an extremely successful assessment of his position after a long break from the regatta, for other nations it was the lucky last-minute qualification for the Olympics in the Laser: the continental Olympic qualification in Vilamoura. The man from Sonthofen, who himself had long since qualified for the Olympics, came out on top on the final day with a one-point lead over five-time Olympic medallist and double Olympic champion Robert Scheidt from Brazil. Buhl's motivating conclusion after the gala performance in the field of 139 starters from 44 countries: "Apart from Australia and New Zealand, the entire world elite was at the start. I was able to gain good insights, boost my self-confidence and make an impression in the Olympic year." In other words, it was the ideal performance for the helmsman from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein.

"Thank you, Alex!"

92 days before the first Olympic starting signal, Buhl, who sailed to the historic first German World Championship title in the Laser class in 2020, remains the class king in the hotly contested one-man dinghy. At the end of the summit meeting of the best in Portugal, it was also important for Philipp Buhl to pay tribute to his coach: "It's time for a big thank you to Alex Schlonski. You can rely on him one hundred per cent. When I look at my current coach over the entirety of our collaboration, I can consider myself lucky. We have a good and objective dialogue. I really like that. Thank you, Alex!"

Philipp Buhl also had his eye on the impressive performance of Robert Scheidt in Portuguese waters, who struggled more than he would have liked after his comeback before the outbreak of the pandemic. At the age of 48, the two-time Olympic champion, nine-time Laser world champion and five-time Olympic medallist clearly remains a force to be reckoned with in Japan this summer. Before Vilamoura, however, Scheidt was narrowly beaten by 31-year-old Buhl. The German finished the series with a commanding race win after a total of twelve races and said: "I never completely wrote Scheidt off. Nevertheless, I was surprised that he delivered well, at least in predominantly hanging conditions over speed. Even Scheidt can become an Olympic champion again if it's banging for a week..." Buhl is heading to the Olympic regatta in Enoshima in a stronger position after his stint in Portugal, but knows: "There are nine people who can win in Enoshima. With the addition of one or two outsiders, there are ten. The decision will be mental, because they can all sail."

Spaniard Joel Rodiguez Perez and Dutchman Duko Bos secured the last two European Laser starting places for the Olympics for their national teams off Vilamoura. In the absence of Dutch Olympic champion Marit Bouwmeester, Danish world champion Anne-Marie Rindom came out on top in the women's Laser Radial. Shai Kakon (Israel) and Carolina João (Portugal) won the last two European Olympic tickets in the women's single-handed dinghy. Svenja Weger from the Potsdam Yacht Club, who qualified for the Olympics, did not make it past 47th place. She had started the series without a result target, but with special work tasks. The placing was nevertheless a disappointment, but certainly not Weger's last word on her Olympic debut.