Olympic sailing: Green light for Kohlhoff/Werner in Rio

Twelve pairs of German sailing fists for the Olympics: five women and seven men will be competing in seven of the ten Olympic disciplines in the Rio regatta from 8 August. A last-minute ticket has now been secured by the young Kiel Nacra 17 crew Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner, for whom the German Sailing Association had submitted an individual application to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) after initially missing out on qualification, but recently performing outstandingly and taking advantage of an additional opportunity. The application was granted in the third nomination round. The decision was announced by the DOSB Executive Board at a press conference in Frankfurt on Tuesday afternoon.

Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner, who are currently completing a longer training block in Rio de Janeiro, were delighted with the nomination. "If I had to describe my feelings on a scale of one to ten, then it's an eleven!" said Carolina Werner when she heard from YACHT online that the DSV application had been approved. Paul Kohlhoff also reacted happily after the rollercoaster ride through elimination, saying at the Niteroi Yacht Club: "We feel very good now, of course. And relieved. But also extremely motivated and hungry for new experiences to hopefully repay some of the trust placed in us."

Since Kohlhoff/Werner finished second under elimination pressure at the high-class World Cup regatta off Weymouth in June, beating the Olympic favourites Billy Besson and Marie Riou, the 20-year-old helmsman and his 22-year-old fore-sailor from Kieler Yacht-Club have even been given outsider chances in the battle for the Olympic medals. Above all, however, the young duo, who narrowly missed out on bronze at the 2015 Olympic test regatta in Rio's Guanabara Bay, should gain intensive Olympic experience in Brazil, as the international careers of the two talents have only just begun. Paul Kohlhoff, voted Germany's Sailing Newcomer of the Year with Carolina Werner in 2015, told YACHT online: "For us, the nomination is a great success and a milestone - hopefully not the last."