Olympic sailing: "It's not the end of the world yet"

17th place after two days and four races was not what Philipp Buhl had in mind for the start of his Olympic premiere. The man from Sonthofen also had to contend with the strong, light winds on Tuesday, but was at least able to improve on his two 16th places the day before with eighth and 13th places. However, this was not enough to break through to the front. Nevertheless, the Allgäuer remained optimistic and said combatively: "It's not the end of the world yet. At least it was better than yesterday, although more single-digit results would also be nice. But the gaps to the front are nothing, because we still have six races and the final ahead of us."

A good and an unsuccessful start, a not entirely successful race and a satisfactory race to catch up are the findings that Buhl took ashore with him in the evening after race four. There was also good news: the weather forecast for Wednesday promised freshening winds of 16 to over 20 knots on the Copacabana outer course, where the Laser sailors will be invited to dance. "I'm really looking forward to that," said Buhl, his green eyes sparkling with aggression. The man from the Allgäu is a "happy hunter" and must and wants to score points on the third day of the regatta if he wants to keep his medal chances alive.

For DSV head coach David Howlett, his protégés' mediocre results so far were no cause for concern: "Everything is still possible for our sailors. This Olympic regatta will remain a battle of nerves until the end and will be a regatta that ends with high scores in the accounts. You can't lose your nerve and you have to fight to the end." Brazil's sailing star Robert Scheidt, who returned to the harbour with a 27th and a fourth place and is in eighth place, agrees: "It was another day in typical Rio style, tricky and challenging. The Laser fleet is sailing at an enormously high level. And the Sugar Loaf, the big rock, has a lot of influence on the wind. On Wednesday we will experience big waves and lots of wind on the outer course. Sailors will be tested here in all conditions."

Parallel to Philipp Buhl, RS:X surfer Toni Wilhelm also battled with the moody wind conditions on the Naval course in the shadow of the Sugarloaf Mountain. Burdened by a heavy cold ("I swallowed ibuprofen like jelly babies"), the 33-year-old from Dogern fought his way through his three races of the day with mixed success. "I was brutally annoyed with myself today, I simply made too many mistakes," said Wihelm in the evening. The man from the Black Forest knows: "That puts me under pressure now if I want to attack at the front. I now have to get through the next races very cleanly and the others have to make mistakes too." However, Wilhelm has not yet given up hope of a medal: "There are still seven races to go. There's still time."

On Wednesday, the men's and women's RS:X fleets take a break and give Wilhelm a day to recover. While Philipp Buhl is looking forward to his races five and six, the first starting shots will also be fired for the German men's and women's 470 teams. At the same time, the young Kiel Nacra 17 sailors Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner get into the action.