470 Mixed European Championship: Gross refereeing error ruins Germany's medal chances

On paper, the German 470 teams demonstrated their world-class credentials at the European Championships in the new Olympic mixed discipline. With Luise Wanser/Philipp Autenrieth (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Bayerischer Yacht-Club) and Malte Winkel/Anastasiya Winkel (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Schweriner Yacht-Club), two top crews finished the European title fights in seventh and eighth place. Click here for the final European Championship standings.

However, a blatantly wrong decision by the referees on the water prevented what could have been a better result. After the final on land, they immediately apologised to Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth for their momentous blunder. But decisions on the water, like factual decisions in football, cannot be reversed or contested even if they are admitted. The referees' decisive penalty in the final should have gone to the 470 with sail number GER 13 (Winkel/Winkel). However, the umpires mistakenly awarded it against GER 10 (Wanser/Autenrieth). As a result of the necessary relief, Wanser/Autenrieth lost the position they had fought for in the leading group of the final fleet and only crossed the finish line of the medal race as the tenth and last boat.

Coach Steve Lovegrove: "Luise and Philipp were robbed of a better result"

470 Mixed coach Steve Lovegrove said: "That was not okay. We will report the incident to World Sailing because a lot of work and money goes into Olympic campaigns. At this level, refereeing mistakes like this should not happen. Luise and Philipp were set back by the decision and robbed of a better result."

While the tears of disappointment and anger ran down the face of Olympic sixth-placed Luise Wanser on land, foreskipper Philipp Autenrieth explained: "We've never experienced anything like this before. That a wrong boat is whistled for, maybe. But we were the ones who initiated this protest because the other boat made a mistake. It doesn't matter that it was a German boat. It's not their fault that the jury made a mistake. It's extremely frustrating that this happened to us in a situation where a medal was at least still possible.

Philipp Autenrieth: "Referees are only human, but it's very tough"

Autenrieth continued: "We already had a wrong decision against us in Hyères. There we won the medal with a lead of two metres. But here the jury's mistake robbed us of any chance. Of course, referees are only human and mistakes happen. It's an honour that they came to us immediately after the race and apologised to us, but it's really tough."

Nevertheless, the team was left with some motivating insights. Autenrieth said: "We got off to a good start this season and were able to make some important adjustments during the summer break. We are among the front runners and can beat anyone. The jury mistake here is painful and very annoying, but it won't leave any lasting damage. All in all, it was a good week in a great, challenging arena."

Malte Winkel: "This is super bitter for Luise and Philipp"

Helmsman Malte Winkel also had mixed feelings after the wrong decision against his team-mates: "It's a thankless situation in which the sailors involved are not to blame. We were waiting for a jury decision after the incident on the water and were expecting a green light or a penalty for us. The jury's decision was initially difficult to understand acoustically and we asked about it. Then we were surprised to hear that GER 10 had been penalised. We thought that perhaps the decision related to a previous situation. We only fully realised the jury's mistake when we were back in the harbour. That's super bitter for Luise and Philipp."

Team Winkel was satisfied with its own performance in the final. Malte Winkel said: "The joy outweighs the disappointment. We had fun in this race. It was what I love about sailing: very varied! We are motivated for the World Championships." With third place in the medal final, Mr and Mrs Winkel confidently defended their seventh position in the final classification. The North German-Bavarian crew Wanser/Autenrieth dropped back to eighth place after the wrong decision. The European champions were Anton Dahlberg/Lovisa Karlsson (Sweden) ahead of Jordi Xammar/Nora Brugman Cabot (Spain) and Giacomo Ferrari/Bianca Caruso (Italy).

DSV sports director Nadine Stegenwalner: "Something like this must not happen at European Championship level"

One month before the World Championships in Israel (21 to 29 October), the German Sailing Team's overall assessment is positive. DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner said: "The bad decision against the Wanser/Autenrieth team hurts a lot and we understand how frustrated they are now. Something like that can't happen at European Championship level. Overall, we have experienced the first serious and strong European Championship in the new Olympic discipline 470 Mixed. Our teams did well. And we could have done better. Our highlight of the season is the World Championships. The European Championships were a good basis for this and the performances are promising."

The newly formed crew of Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Joersfelder Segel-Club) had even led the classification in the initial phase of the European Championships, finishing the title fights in eleventh place. The promising duo only just missed out on a place in the medal race. Theres Dahnke/Matti Cipra (Plauer Wassersportverein) sailed to 15th place. The German gold fleet quintet was completed by Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr (Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club/Segel-Club Breitbrunn-Chiemsee).