Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner shocked their experienced competitors in the Olympic area off Rio de Janeiro on Monday with an almost perfect day of sailing. The 20-year-old helmsman and his one-year-older fore-sailor started their second day of the regatta with a second place and then went on to win twice on the Ponte inland course in Guanabara Bay. As a result, the mixed crew from the Kieler Yacht-Club has not only taken the lead in a field of world champions and Olympic champions, but has already gained a points cushion of eight points after a total of six races.
The North German duo had already attracted attention a few weeks ago at the World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, with outstanding results and fifth place, earning them the nickname "German Wonder Kids". Their competitors at the test regatta are on average ten, some even 15 years older than the Kiel team, who will be personally coached on the water by the new DSV head coach David Howlett.
Carolina Werner said after the races when asked if she could have imagined such a successful day: "No! But we will continue to tackle the regatta race by race. We're only halfway through." On the recipe for success, the foresailor said: "It's all about good and fast handling and driving the boat fast and straight ahead!" The two German shooting stars have obviously found out how this works perfectly. And even the Australian 470 Olympic and world champion Mathew Belcher congratulated them personally.
It was also a good day for the German sailors in the Brazilian Olympic area: After a weak start, the 49er European champions Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel catapulted themselves to fifth place with a convincing win on the day, an 18th and two strong third places. "We were in a good mood," said Erik Heil. "The conditions are and will remain difficult, but we hit the streamline well today." Laser vice world champion Philipp Buhl was also satisfied on the evening of his third regatta day: "That was important today," said the Sonthofen native, who was delighted with his third place in the only Laser race of the day. Buhl thus moved up to ninth place. During the race, he even impressed nine-time world champion Robert Scheidt, who humorously paid tribute to Buhl after the race was moved to the bay, in which the German had bravely and successfully set the left-hand side on the second cross: "Philipp, that can't be! You can't sail over to the left like that here in Rio with the current. That's simply not possible!" But it went well.
The 470 European champions Ferdinand Gerz and Oliver Szymanski also made up for their unsuccessful start with third and eighth place and moved up to tenth place. The Berlin 470 sailors Annika Bochmann and Marlene Steinherr moved up to twelfth place with 14th and fifth place individually. Only the 49er sailors Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke had to make up ground with 17th place, dropping back to 14th. Surfer Toni Wilhelm and the RS:X surfers took a break on Monday and will be back in action on Tuesday when the Nacra 17 crews and the Laser sailors have their rest day.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
