World Championship 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17: Just short of a sensation: World Championship silver for Heil/Plößel!

Anyone who watched the 49er final race of the World Championships off Auckland overnight was hardly able to stay in their seat. The battle between the top favourites and Olympic champions Peter Burling/Blair Tuke and Berliners Erik Heil/Thomas Plößel ended as thrillingly as it had begun. In the end, Heil/Plößel sailed just past the sensation, but after a masterfully contested medal race they had good reason to celebrate their World Championship silver medal. The crew from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein shook the throne of the 49er dominators from New Zealand and almost snatched their fifth World Championship gold medal from under the Kiwis' noses.

The 30-year-old helmsman Erik Heil and his 31-year-old coxswain Thomas Plößel came close to ending the German Olympic sailors' 19 years without a world championship title. Roland Gäbler and René Schwall won the last World Championship gold for Olympic sailors in the Tornado in Sydney in 2000. The fact that Heil/Plößel were beaten by their rivals Burling/Tuke by just six points after a total of 17 races and the final thriller does not diminish the achievement of the sailing partners and childhood friends who grew up in the Tegel Sailing Club. "We are proud of our performance, but we don't want to rest on our laurels," said Heil at the award ceremony in Auckland, despite missing out on victory. The Rio bronze medallists only returned to their Olympic campaign in late summer after a break of almost a year due to their studies. That they would be able to perform so strongly at the World Championships just a short time later was something that even they had hardly thought possible in this form. "We wanted to see what we could do and where we stood," said Heil. They stand strong.

The world title fights came to an end in the America's Cup area off Auckland with a thrilling final day. Initially, Heil/Plößel had come even closer to the New Zealand leaders with a victory in the last race of the main round on Sunday morning. The starting position was clear: with the Kiwis eight points ahead, Heil/Plößel had to put at least three boats between themselves and Burling/Tike in the medal final to be able to grab the title. Accordingly, the German duo opened the showdown with a dominant and convincing start. The New Zealanders' tactics were just as clear: keep up with the Germans and don't let any boats get in between them. But Heil/Plößel were able to force the Kiwis to the left side thanks to their excellent positioning over the course of the first section and outstanding speed, and initially stayed on the favoured right side themselves.

What happened next was unprecedented for the always strong-nerved New Zealanders: Peter Burling slipped out of the footstraps and went overboard for a few seconds. Luckily for the team on the skiff with the sail number NZL 77, Burling was able to hoist himself back on board like a cat in a flash. When the Kiwis got going again after the scare, they had dropped back to tenth place, while Heil/Plößel were sailing in the top three. For a few minutes, the German fans watching the live broadcast were allowed to dream, as this scenario would have meant the World Championship title for Heil/Plößel. However, the joy did not last long, as Burling/Tuke showed all their class as the race progressed and moved closer to the top place. At the finish, fourth place behind the third-placed Germans was enough to secure them their fifth world championship title of their successful career. Their joy was more unbridled than ever before. Burling and Tuke knew that they had almost lost their gold on their home turf of all places.

Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel have been sailing in the same boat for 18 years. The medal première at their ninth world championship has spurred them on towards the 2020 Olympics. The medal première at a world championship is now spurring the team on for the current Olympic qualification, for which they scored plenty of points with silver. "It was a week that played into our hands as all-rounders with its varied conditions," said Heil. The coxswain commented on the New Zealanders' ability to beat them: "This time it would have been possible if we hadn't broken our oars at the start of the World Championships. So it is possible." 49er national coach Marc Pickel praised his top crew: "I'm proud of Erik and Thomas. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are the best sailors in the world. Maybe we can make up for the victory next year. That's what we're working for now." There was a special congratulations for Heil/Plößel from as far away as Kiel: Germany's first internationally successful 49er helmsman and two-time Olympian Marcus Baur wrote: "I'm very happy - for the runners-up in the world championship and two other German teams in the top 20! It's still time for a German world champion and Olympic champion. It's now clear that it's possible..."

DSV sports director Nadine Stegenwalner was delighted with and about her top performers, saying: "That was a brilliant medal race by Erik and Thomas. They have impressively proven that they can also overtake the New Zealanders. I trust them to do that in the future. Putting the Kiwis under pressure like that was great! This silver medal gives the German Sailing Team a lot of tailwind. That was more than a big exclamation mark from the 49er sailors, who sailed into the top 20 with a total of three teams at this World Championship."

The World Championships ended with a moment of shock and a small damper for the strong sailing Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke in the women's skiff fleet. The 49erFX athletes had started the final in third place overall in the red jersey and with medal hopes. However, while in the lead, they capsized in the strong winds of 20 knots and even more in gusts, just like the Brazilian Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, and finished the series in fifth place. However, Lutz/Beucke and Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer in the Nacra 17 achieved their most important goal with ease: in both disciplines, the German Sailing Team starters secured a place in the nations for the 2020 Olympic regatta in Enoshima.

Susann Beucke said after the final rollercoaster ride: "The capsize was very, very unfortunate. But we didn't start the medal race nervous or excited. On the contrary, we felt mentally very good and calm. We were proud to wear the red jersey for Germany. For us, however, the World Championship placing in the end means a resounding success after last year's small dip in performance." In the Nacra 17, 24-year-old Paul Kohlhoff and his 21-year-old foresailor Alica Stuhlemmer (Kieler Yacht-Club) were the youngest team in the DSV Olympic squad to miss out on the final of the top ten teams, but they didn't dwell on it for long. Helmsman Paul Kohlhoff said: "The big goal for this World Championship was to secure a place on the national starting list for the Olympics. We have achieved that. Overall, however, we expect a lot more from us in the future in terms of our placings."