EM 49erFX, 49er & Nacra17: "Attack!"

German 49erFX sailors have never been able to win a medal at the European Championships in the boat class, which was Olympic for the first time in 2016. Tomorrow they can do it for the first time in their home waters off Kiel. Two German teams have laid the foundations for this with strong results, with current leaders Vicky Jurczok and Anika Lorenz and Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke in third place.

On Friday, Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) and Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke (Chiemsee-Yacht-Club/Hannoverscher Yacht-Club) will start from promising positions in the three medal races scheduled for the early afternoon, which will be scored once but cannot be cancelled. The three medal races replace the previously only one final, which was scored twice. The innovation has been well received by the female sailors so far. However, it also leaves plenty of room for change. Both German teams were looking forward to the final day with a fighting spirit.

The last day before the final brought the decisions about the medal races. In the 49erFX, two German teams are sailing with medal chances in the final three races on Friday

"We're very happy about the interim result, but nothing has been decided yet," said Anika Lorenz, "we'll start the final races as usual: Attack!" Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke are also looking forward to the final sprint in their home training area. "We like the situation," said foresailor Beucke. The Berlin Olympic ninth-placed team Jurczok/Lorenz lead the classification of 66 boats from 27 countries after a total of 16 races with 42.5 points. Lurking 2.5 points behind them is the British Olympic fifth-placed Charlotte Dobson with Saskia Tidey. 3.5 points behind them, Lutz/Beucke are fighting for a European Championship medal. Fourth-placed Chika Hatae/Hiroka Itakura from Japan are six points behind them.

In the men's 49er, the Bavarians Jakob Meggendorfer/Andreas Spranger also kept their chances alive in seventh place before the final races. In the Olympic mixed catamaran Nacra17, on the other hand, Paul Kohlhoff/Alicia Stuhlemmer from Kiel narrowly missed out on the final in ninth place - in this class, only the top eight will contest the final day. Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer finished the main round in ninth place, one point behind eighth place.