Philipp Buhl missed out on the World Championship medal he had hoped for in Mexico. The 26-year-old helmsman from the Alpsee-Immenstadt sailing club finished the title fights in eighth place. He was able to score points again on the final day in the penultimate race and move up to fourth place. But in the last race, the Sonthofen native risked too much for the tangible medal, chose the left side of the course, fell back dramatically there and only crossed the finish line in 55th place in the gold field of 56 starters. The old and new world champion is Nick Thompson from Great Britain. Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bernaz secured silver ahead of Dutchman Rutger van Schaardenberg, who achieved what Buhl had set out to do in the final: Van Schaardenberg jumped from tenth place to third place in the World Championships.
The final day had started quite promisingly for Buhl. The Allgäu native had worked his way up from sixth to fourth place in the 13th race, finishing ninth. The medal he had hoped for was now within his grasp. But in the 14th and final race, the active spokesman for the national sailing team Audi Sailing Team Germany risked too much. Buhl chose the left side of the course for his final sprint against the trend of the field, but was severely penalised for this and only finished 55th in the gold field of 56 starters.
Buhl told YACHT online: "I knew before the last race that I would have to sail top four to win bronze. Then I maxed it out and went left. That rarely worked over the whole week, but it looked quite good at times in this last race. In the end it was nothing, it only worked on the right. Of course, it's easy to ask from the outside: why don't you go right when you've been going right all week? But when you consider that the wind went as far to the left again on the finishing cross as I would have needed for the race, then it just wasn't meant to be."
The seven-day World Championship series proved to be a "rollercoaster ride" for Buhl through the ranks: 12, (57 - retirement after disqualification), 3, 4, 3, 10, 11, 38, 2, 3, 25, 9, (55). "The whole week was tough and a dress rehearsal for me to perform under pressure again. Then I was suddenly put under more pressure by jury decisions and boats crashing into me. These events gave me the strings at the beginning of the preliminary round and the main round. I feel like I withstood the pressure for a very long time - except for the last race. That then backfired." Along with Buhl, nine-time Laser World Champion and double Olympic champion Robert Scheidt from Brazil was also among the losers of the final day. The 43-year-old sailing star dropped from fifth to tenth place in the two final races.
Buhl calls his eighth place at the World Championships "not a desirable result". But the Olympic hopeful also says: "If you consider the external influences, then it's halfway conciliatory. I am of the opinion that I was at my peak here. That was important to me. I am therefore satisfied with my development and will not be travelling to the World Cup in Weymouth. I'll be competing at Kieler Woche, and then there's an even more important competition than the World Championships this year..." Buhl is sticking to his medal target for the Olympic Games. And coach Thomas Piesker agrees with him: "A fluffed dress rehearsal usually results in a great première. The Games can come!"
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
