World Sailing Championships in The Hague: One last "tango" and medals in sight

The national sailing team has its sights set on more medals at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Hague. One day after Heiko Kröger's (Ammersbek) early World Championship gold in the 2.4mR, German boats and boards are in the top three in three Olympic disciplines, with others in promising positions near the top. The overall performance at the halfway stage of the World Championships is more than respectable.

We got off lightly today" (Anna Markfort)

In the 470 Mixed, the runners-up in the European Championships and Kiel Week winners Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Joersfelder Segel-Club) moved up to second place. In light winds and challenging current conditions, the duo returned to the World Championship harbour with a win on the day and 4th and 18th places. "We got off lightly today," said Anna Markfort in the evening in Scheveningen.

The German 470 mixed crews are working their way forward

When asked about the keys to her duo's good performance, the experienced headsailor said: "For the most part, we are good at analysing what is happening on the course. And we have a very good feel for the boat in the transitional conditions, where there are already pumping conditions but pumping is not yet permitted. I think that overview and boat speed have been our greatest strengths here so far."

The team-mates from the world-class training group of the German 470 crews also improved in eighth and ninth place: the defending champions Luise Wanser and Philipp Autenrieth (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Bayerischer Yacht-Club) and the runners-up from the Olympic test regatta in Marseille, Malte and Anastasiya Winkel (Schweriner Yacht-Club/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein), continued their race to catch up towards the front of the field on Tuesday.

It was difficult and exhausting with the strong current. I'm extremely happy with this day, because it could easily have turned out differently" (Philipp Buhl)

In the Ilca 7, Philipp Buhl (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) moved up to third place with 6th place and a win on the day. The 2020 World Champion and two-time Olympian said: "I'm extremely happy with this day in view of my less successful starts today. It was difficult and exhausting with the strong current and could easily have turned out differently. The fleet also has to learn how to deal with the current: that you have to queue further back at the start ... I got a few spins at the right time today. In about the second race there was a little left-hander that I had hoped for."

At the end of the day, 138 Ilca-7 helmsmen and their race committee had to contend with two knots of current while trying to get a third race in. "At the last start, I was standing on the spot with about 80 per cent race mode seven minutes before the start. That's almost funny," said Buhl, describing everyone's struggle with the current in light winds.

Kiters in top flying mood: Meyer and Maus in top form

Buhl's team and club mate Sebastian Kördel dropped back to fourth place on Tuesday with two strong and two weak races in the newly Olympic iQFoil windsurfers. The defending champion said: "The mistakes were on my side today and were at the starts. But everything is fine with the overall score. I hope that we can start late tomorrow. The wind should then pick up again so that we can get a few races in."

Among the kiters, Jannis Maus (Cuxkiters) moved up to seventh place. Florian Gruber (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) was in 18th place after eight races. The most successful athlete of the German kiters in the German Sailing Team is Leonie Meyer from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein after two daily victories and an impressive series. The German "one-woman show" in the newly Olympic Formula Kite shines brightly on the North Sea in fourth place after two days of racing.

Bergmann/Wille fight for a place in the medal final

The German skiff sailors, meanwhile, have not yet been able to completely close the gap following the retirement of Japan medallists Erik Heil/Thomas Plößel and Tina Lutz/Susann Beucke. Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille from the Mühlenberger Segel-Club are the closest, still fighting for a place in the top ten in the 49er FX in 13th place after twelve of 15 races up to the final. In the men's 49er, Maximilian Stingele and Linov Scheel were the best German crew in 19th place before the last three main round races.

Berlin's Julia Büsselberg (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) remains a strong fourth for the time being. The races of the Ilca-6 fleet had to be postponed. The same applied on Tuesday for the Olympic bronze medallists Paul Kohlhoff and Alica Stuhlemmer, who will be challenged again in the final sprint on Wednesday after a scheduled rest day. The medals in the Olympic fleets will be decided at the Sailing World Championships in The Hague from 17 to 20 August.

"Last tango": Santi Lange ends his Olympic career in The Hague

Meanwhile, one of the greats of Olympic sailing says goodbye on the Dutch World Championship stage this week: 61-year-old Santi Lange - acclaimed gold medallist with Cecilia Carranza Saroli in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 after a serious cancer operation - had only minimal chances of prevailing against younger rivals Mateo Majdalani/Eugenia Bosco in the Argentinian national elimination for the 2024 Olympics even before the first starting signal for the Nacra 17 fleet.

Ahead of the final Nacra 17 races, Majdalani/Bosco are now in sixth place, with Santi Lange and his foresailor Victoria Travascio in 17th. Lange knows that his hopes of another Olympic appearance have been dashed and said an emotional farewell: "It's a privilege to still be in this class and competing at this level at the age of 61. So it would be stupid of me if I let us down and didn't try hard because we didn't make it to Paris." Lange continued: "I'm proud of Mateo and Eugenia. Mateo was my coach in Rio. It means a lot to me that he is now in a good position to fight for a medal for Argentina."

An emotional farewell! Click here for the video that the Nacra 17 class dedicated to Santiago Lange:

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