Germany's best Olympic sailors have already secured six Rio tickets. At the World Cup off Hyères, 100 days before the opening ceremony of the XXXI Olympic Games, the seventh and final possible ticket for Audi Sailing Team Germany now beckons. Two young German Nacra 17 crews are battling it out - against each other and at the same time against the international competition. Either Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner from Kiel, who are leading the elimination by eight points after two of three regattas, or Jan Hauke Erichsen and Lea Spitzmann from Flensburg have to fulfil two conditions: They must be ranked among the top ten nations in the internal ranking at the end of the three elimination regattas. At the same time, they must win the internal German duel.
Kohlhoff/Werner started the World Cup in a better position. Before the start of the regatta, they were in the important tenth place among the nations and must maintain or improve on this position. Caro Werner explained the strategy for this: "We will concentrate on ourselves first and foremost, because otherwise we will directly give up ten per cent of our concentration to the others." Erichsen/Spitzmann not only have to make up their eight-point deficit to Kohlhoff/Werner, but also have to make significant progress in the nations' rankings if they want to fulfil the criteria of the German Olympic Sports Confederation for their Olympic start. "We believe that we can do it," said helmsman Erichsen one day before the first starting signal.
Against this tense backdrop, the first and only of three planned World Cup races for the Nacra 17 fleet got off to a stormy start on Wednesday. In mistral winds of around 28 knots, in which the 49erFX sailors were not even allowed to start, the mixed catamaran crews had to battle with the elements off Hyères. The result of the race committee's brash decision: only 14 crews made it through. 20 fell by the wayside, including Kohlhoff/Werner, the French Olympic favourites and world champions Billy Besson and Marie Riou and a number of other top international crews. While Kohlhoff/Werner at least escaped serious material damage, the masts broke all around them. Jan Hauke Erichsen and Lea Spitzmann, however, came through. They crossed the finish line in fourth place and will start the next races on Thursday from this position, for which the all-clear has already been given: The wind is expected to die down.
While the German Nacra 17 crews are under elimination pressure, Germany's best can sail freely in the other classes and work on their Olympic form on course for Rio. Laser vice world champion Philipp Buhl took the lead on the first day of the World Cup with sixth place and a win on the day. "I had fun," said Buhl cheerfully, "such conditions don't bother the Laser that much. But the 49er and Nacra sailors have my respect. It was tough for them today." The 49er sailors Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel also recorded a win on the day, as well as 8th and 13th place, and are in fourth place after three races. Heiko Kröger was unlucky in the Paralympics class 2.4mR when his lug fitting broke while he was in the lead in the first race. Germany's Sailor of the Year will have to work his way back up from the bottom on Thursday.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
