Olympics: A silver lining on the LA horizon, a medal in the first Olympic test event

Getting to know a future Olympic venue and familiarising oneself with the conditions is always exciting. This week, it was the turn of the German 470 crews. At the Olympic Classes Regatta in San Pedro, they gained their first impressions of the venue where a German duo will be competing for medals at the 2028 Olympic regatta. The “Pre-Pre-Olympics” have now shown that the mixed crews from the German Sailing Team are on a strong course at the halfway point of the current Olympic cycle. The results clearly showed this. In addition, the impressions of the area were consistently positive.

Port of Los Angeles: first impressions of the Olympic venue are promising

With 19 boats, the 470 mixed fleet at the Olympic Classes Regatta in San Pedro was exactly the same size as it will be at the Olympic regatta in two years’ time in the same waters. The field was small but strong, with the top favourites on the starting line. Over the course of twelve races leading up to the two medal races, the 470 national sailors made the most of their opportunities on numerous occasions. In the end, the World Championship runners-up Simon Diesch (Württembergischer Yacht-Club) and Anna Markfort (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee/Joersfelder Segel-Club) beamed with joy as they claimed silver in the future Californian Olympic venue.

With three race wins, including two on the penultimate day, Diesch and Markfort had secured an outstanding starting position heading into the medal races. After finishing 8th and 7th in the finals, they were only beaten by the British pair Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris, who took gold with first and second places in this first Olympic test event. Behind Diesch and Markfort, the Swedes Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Lindner secured bronze. It came as something of a surprise that the high-flyers and world champions Jordi Xammar and Marta Cardona could not finish higher than tenth.

Anna Markfort gave a positive assessment of the weekend in San Pedro, Los Angeles, on behalf of her team: “We’ve had a week of absolutely brilliant sailing conditions here and were able to sail on three different race courses. We experienced everything from flat water and rather shifty, gusty conditions to slightly rougher seas and stronger winds.” The races are taking place in the Olympic venue for the six Olympic boat classes – iQFOiL windsurfers and kiters face a challenge off Long Beach – inside or outside the harbour wall of the Port of Los Angeles.

Diesch/Markfort impress with their fighting spirit

“It’s a course that has really put us to the test time and again, as you can see from some of the race results, but we felt comfortable,” said Anna Markfort. What were her team’s strengths this week? “We were able to put into practice what we’d set out to do – the things we’ve been working on since the start of the season with our coach and our sports psychologist. And we’re good at overtaking boats. Take our torn outhaul, for example: we managed to move up from last place at the first windward mark to eighth place. I think that speaks for itself.”

Anna Markfort spoke cheerfully about her crew’s two race wins in a single day: “It was great that both Theres and Paco, as well as us, each had two ‘bullets’ in one day. It’s just a shame that the British managed to secure their ‘bullets’ on a day with three races.” Wrigley and Harris had actually secured three race wins in a row the day before, laying the foundations for their success.

Finishing fifth in the Olympic test event, Theres Dahnke and Paco Melzer (Plauer Wassersportverein/Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee/Yachtclub Berlin-Grünau) also gave a positive assessment of their time in San Pedro. The helmswoman gushed: “Our first impression of the Olympic venue is really good! I wouldn’t have thought it would be so varied, because we’d always been told that there’s a sea breeze and 15-knot winds every day. In fact, the wave conditions vary greatly depending on whether the courses are inside or outside the harbour wall.”

High wind reliability in the upcoming Olympic venue

The reliability of the wind was widely praised. Dahnke said: “We were always able to sail; we didn’t have any days when we couldn’t.” Her crew particularly appreciated the “inland courses” within the harbour walls. “It’s a bit trickier in shallow water. That’s where our two ‘Bullets’ really came into their own. A great day that gave us a lot of confidence,” said Dahnke, summing up their first experience of the Olympic venue.

Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr (Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club/Segelclub Breitbrunn Chiemsee) also finished sixth in their first test race in the upcoming Olympic venue at Hoch. The helmswoman said: “We really like the Olympic venue. It offers superb conditions, mostly with a sea breeze and good swell. We also sailed a few races inside the harbour wall, where the wind shifted quite a lot and we sailed very short courses. That gave us more of a feel for the medal race. The course has also proved itself in light winds, so it demands a wide range of skills.”

Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner and Head Coach Dom Tidey had accompanied the national sailors and their coaches to the LA 2028 Olympic venue. They wanted to get an overview of the site and press ahead with plans for the Olympic Games in two years’ time. Dom Tidey is still there and said: “This week, the focus was on San Pedro and the 470s.” The latter are now travelling directly from Los Angeles to the World Championships in the former Olympic venue of Enoshima.

After the Olympic test comes the World Championship showdown

​In Japan, the highlight of the year for the Olympic 470 sailors will take place from 10 to 17 August. “With more than 70 boats, we’ll have a much larger field there, and from what we’ve heard, we can usually expect good wind and high waves,” said Theresa Löffler, looking ahead. “For us,” Löffler added, “it will be our first time in Enoshima. We’re excited and looking forward to the highlight of the season.” Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort will have a different experience: the helmsman has already been to the World Championship venue in Enoshima in 2017, 2018 and 2019, whilst his bowman was there in 2018 and 2019.

Both have unfinished business with Enoshima, as neither managed to qualify for the Olympics back then following intensive preparations – at the time, each with a different sailing partner. Together, however, they have made it to the 2024 Olympic regatta in the Bay of Marseille. The current strongest German 470 duo are keen to put their disappointing 14th-place finish – achieved at the end of a gruelling battle against calm conditions and sweltering heat – behind them with a significantly better result at their target second joint Olympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028.

Whilst the 470 sailors continue on to Enoshima, the Skiff and Nacra 17 sailors will be arriving in San Pedro over the coming days for Part 3 of the Olympic Classes Regatta in California. Both Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner and Head Coach Dom Tidey were on site. Tidey is still there. With a view to the 2028 Olympics, the team management has gained an in-depth insight into the conditions and opportunities on offer.

“It’s a really lovely spot. The photos show that. That goes for the surfboards in Long Beach as well as the boats in San Pedro.” Nadine Stegenwalner

Now back at the German Sailing Association’s (DSV) national sailing centre, Nadine Stegewalner said: “The Olympic Classes Regatta has really whetted our appetite for the Olympic Games from a sporting perspective, and we were already able to lay some important groundwork whilst we were there. The fact that the 470 crews were so successful provides a great deal of motivation for the road to LA28.”

Fair sailing competitions on the horizon for the 2028 Olympics

Dom Tidey said in San Pedro: “It’s been a truly rewarding first visit to the venues for Olympic sailing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. It’s an excellent sailing venue with mostly good wind, but enough variety to create truly challenging conditions. It is precisely this mix that leads to fair competitions.”

Tidey described the collective performance of the German mixed 470 crews as “a fantastic result”. He explained: “Finishing here in San Pedro with three boats in the top six and a silver medal is exactly the sort of result that shows we’re on the right track with our preparations.”

The German skiff sailors entered for this first Olympic test will be showing just what they can contribute between 1 and 8 August. The line-up will include Richard Schultheis/Fabian Rieger (North German Regatta Club/Seglerhaus am Wannsee Club), Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger, who finished fourth at the World Championships (Bavarian Yacht Club), European champions Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille (Mühlenberger Sailing Club) and Sophie Steinlein/Catherine Bartelheimer (North German Regatta Club/Bavarian Yacht Club/Inning am Ammersee Sailing Club).