World Championship Laser Standard: Medal chance preserved: Buhl fourth after a curious race

Yesterday they still had midsummer conditions, today this: a heavy thunderstorm and thick hailstones ensured that the gold fleet of the Laser World Championship was unable to leave the harbour until midday on Sunday in Split, Croatia. But as strong as the winds had blown across the course in the morning, they died down again just as quickly. Only a single gold fleet race was organised with difficulty, the silver and bronze fleets were not used.

This one race of the best was strange, "almost funny", as national coach Alex Schlonski reported, "I wouldn't have wanted to be in the boat". The wind had broken away so abruptly in some areas at the start that a whole group of helmsmen were left without a chance and were unable to move for up to 15 seconds against the wave, which was around three quarters of a metre high. Only then were those who had been left behind able to start their race to catch up. One of them was Philipp Buhl, who at least managed to save himself in 18th place and got away with a "black eye". Although the Sonthofen native was not yet allowed to cross off this 18th place as the first and only Gold Fleet race, he moved up to fourth place.

Other top riders were also hit, some harder than Buhl: the leader Pavlos Kontides, who had been so confident so far with four victories on the day, dropped back to seventh place in 26th place after breaking his equipment the day before. Double world champion Nick Thomson is in ninth place after finishing 20th. Olympic silver medallist Tonci Stipanovic finished 14th on Sunday and is in 10th place, while Rio's bronze medallist Sam Meech plummeted from fourth to 13th in 39th place. Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bernaz is in the lead ahead of Australian Matthew Wearn and his compatriot and Olympic champion Tom Burton.

But the series is far from over. A maximum of five races can still be held on the remaining two days until the final on Tuesday. The World Championship fleet is expecting difficult conditions again on Monday. Experts assume that sailing will be possible in the afternoon at the earliest, if the hoped-for sea breeze materialises at all. More wind and better conditions are not expected until Tuesday. Everything points to a thrilling final. "And every point counts," says Buhl, who has impressed so many times with his strong nerves in the final sprint. The 27-year-old commented on the race calmly: "The conditions were extreme. It was very much like a pig race. But I can live with the overall result."

Buhl benefits from the fact that his previous streak is a tenth place. As soon as more than one Gold Fleet race has been completed, he cancels the 18 points from Sunday instead. If ten or more races are completed at the World Championship, a second result, but no more than one, may be cancelled from the final round. This means that the decision in the battle for the Laser World Championship crown remains wide open and fiercely contested.

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