Olympic sailing: "The World Championship area offers us Germans a huge opportunity!"

Rarely have all the starters of the German Sailing Team been so unanimous in their assessment during and after a regatta. No matter who you asked in the German team at this test regatta in Aarhus: the area where the dress rehearsal for the 2018 World Championships in all Olympic sailing disciplines took place is very similar to the home and training area of the German sailors off Kiel. This is good news, as the first national starting places for the 2020 Olympic Games will be allocated at next year's World Championships in Aarhus. And the top performers in the DSV fleet want to secure these as early as possible.

The Danes' promotional clip for next year's title fights in all Olympic sailing disciplines. In addition to titles, it will also be about the national starting places for the 2020 Olympics

"It's a special place for us Germans," said Philipp Buhl, who sailed to sixth place in the test regatta and once again put in a world-class performance in a very strong field. Buhl's conclusion: "Every training day before Kiel is also one for the World Championships in Aarhus next year." For Buhl personally, the test regatta was a "double test": "I wanted to see what it will be like at the World Championships next year, when we are already competing for national starting places for Enoshima. But I also wanted to check where I stand before the World Championships in Split at the beginning of September. I'm very happy with both." The world number one has big plans for the coming years of his third Olympic campaign and said with a smile in Aarhus: "I have big plans for next year. If it doesn't work out this year..." The dream of the first Laser World Championship title for a German athlete continues to drive the Sonthofener forward. So far, Andreas John (1985), Stefan Warkalla (1991) and Buhl himself (2015) have won silver at world championships in the Olympic single-handed dinghy.

In Aarhus, the German 470 sailors also put in a good performance at the test regatta. Although their field was more of a miniature fleet with only twelve boats starting, Nadine Boehm said, "the top ten were already very good and it gives us a lot of confidence that we can compete with them. Nadine Boehm and Ann-Christin Goliaß took fourth place in the test off Aarhus, while Frederike Loewe and Anna Markfort finished sixth. The German skiff sailors showed strong individual performances in the women's event with Vicky Jurczok/Anika Lorenz, who came third at the European Championships, and in the men's event with Justus Schmidt/Max Boehme from Kiel, but ended the regatta prematurely - as previously planned - due to scheduling conflicts. Like Philipp Buhl, Max Boehme said: "We had typical Aarhus conditions: Shifting, gusty winds - just like we know it from Kiel. That suits us." The skiff sailors are now preparing for their annual highlight: Their 2017 World Championships begin at the end of August in Portugal. Rio bronze medallists Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel will also return to 49er action there.