Laser sailor Philipp Buhl has opened the main round of the World Championships in Mexico with one botched and one class race. Because two results can be cancelled in the long seven-day series, neither the disqualification on the second day of the World Championships nor the cancellation on Monday will affect Buhl's World Championship account. The man from Sonthofen has moved up to seventh place and is only ten points behind bronze two days and four races before the end of the World Championship. However, the 26-year-old helmsman from Segelclub Alpsee-Immenstadt cannot afford another high double-digit result in the remaining two days and four races if he wants to win his third World Championship medal after bronze in 2013 and silver in 2015.
The leader in the field of 112 starters from 51 nations is still the British defending champion Nick Thompson (23 points) ahead of the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (27 points) and the nine-time Laser world champion and double Olympic champion Robert Scheidt from Brazil. Buhl is 10 points behind Scheidt. "There are still four races to go and I won't give up until the last minute," said Buhl, who is one of the German national sailing team's greatest Olympic hopes.
For YACHT online, Buhl reports daily in the morning on his races on the world championship course off the Riviera Nayat, which take place with a seven-hour time difference to Germany. Buhl commented on his changeable fifth day of racing as follows: "The aim for the main round of six races is of course to save the option for the second stringer for as late as possible. My first race went down the drain with a 38th place. We had the lightest wind today with six to eleven knots. We simply went over the left-hand side. That was very unusual for the area. My start was good, my speed was good. Then I hit the layline too early and - unlike in previous races - that was unfortunately really, really expensive."
Buhl had more pleasing things to report about the second race on the fifth day of the World Championship: "I was leading in up to 20 knots of wind and then did a bit of 'piano'. Because if I get another yellow flag, then it's quickly a last place that can't be cancelled, so a disqualification." Buhl's interim assessment ahead of the two-day final sprint: "There's still a lot to play for."
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
