Olympics: Between dream day and cancelled premiere - start with mixed feelings
Tatjana Pokorny
· 28.07.2024
On the very first day of the sailing regatta at the Olympic Games, pleasure and frustration were closely intertwined in hot Mediterranean temperatures of over 32 degrees. The winds did not appear to be very co-operative. Everything was set for light winds in the bay of Marseille. But for the iQFoil windsurfers eagerly awaiting their Olympic premiere, the poor conditions on their course were not good enough for foiling and therefore not good enough for respectable and fair races. After several hours of waiting on the water and on land, their start had to be postponed until Monday. "That was a great pity. I would have liked more action for our Olympic debut," said Sebastian Kördel on the evening of his "unemployed" first day of competition at the Olympics.
The iQFoil windsurfers will have to wait
The 2022 World Champion and 2023 World Championship runner-up would have loved to measure himself against the competition. As would his team and club mate Theresa Steinlein. The iQFoil windsurfers also ended the eagerly awaited opener without a result. Sebastian Kördel also realised that the cancellation was justified: "There was nothing at all on our course." Kördel pointed out that the windsurfers could have had the same luck as the skiff sailors on the Frioul course further out in the bay: "It would probably have been enough for us on the FX course."
Speed was the first card today that really worked in our favour" (Marla Bergmann)
The Frioul course, on the other hand, gave the youngest crew in the Olympic 49er FX fleet an outstanding start to their personal Olympic premiere: Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille did their thing three times in a row in their light wind "chocolate conditions" and were in third place on the evening of their first appearance on the Olympic world stage.
The 22-year-old helmswoman described her team's boat speed in the flat conditions as the key to the excellent 3rd, 4th and 5th places. "Speed was the first card we played today, which really worked in our favour," said Marla Bergmann. She continued: "We were a bit late at the first start. The jib had come up again. We had actually already said beforehand that it looked good on the right and then we tacked across and were able to work our way out of a really bad lane. We then had really good speed. That was the most important thing. That we knew we could play that card."
After that, according to the helmswoman, it was a case of "keeping the races simple". Hanna Wille added: "And we had to trust our gut feeling. Because we made a lot of the right decisions, we just knew that what our instincts were telling us today was right. Then we just sailed." The fact that the young Germans, who attracted a lot of interest from international observers in the Olympic harbour in the evening with their consistent daily record, missed the start in the third race didn't matter much, "because almost everyone else messed it up too," reported Hanna Wille with a smile.
Come what may, we are happy with everything" (Marla Bergmann)
When asked whether the continuing light wind forecast for the coming days with even higher temperatures would mean good news for the crew from Mühlenberger Segel-Club, Marla Bergmann said: "I actually think we'll be happy with all conditions. Even with double-handed conditions. In the training regattas that we had here on site, we realised that we now have the speed to compete at the front. That's why it's really like this: come what may, and we're happy with everything."
Dutch sailors Odile Van Aanholt and Annette Duetz lead the 49er FX intermediate classification after the first of five regatta days for the skiff fleets, ahead of French sailors Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon. With the successful first day, Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille have built a strong foundation for the remaining four Olympic race days after a quarter of the planned races.
"We had set ourselves the goal of a top ten finish for day one. Now, of course, we are super, super happy," said Hanna Wille. Commenting on her crew's top performance, the 23-year-old said: "We knew beforehand that we were very good in light winds. And the forecast predicted light winds. So the aim was to show that we could race at the front. The fact that we were able to do that on the very first day is obviously great. We can now take that feeling with us."
Meggendorfer/Spranger open promisingly
Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger from the Bavarian Yacht Club will also start their second day of Olympic racing on Monday well motivated. The team, which was only nominated for the Olympic Games by the DOSB at the beginning of July at the request of the DSV, was able to show on the very first day that it can compete on an equal footing with the world's best at the Olympic regatta in Marseille.
The day had potential" (Jakob Meggendorfer)
Helmsman Jakob Meggendorfer said: "It was fun today. We were fast and also knew where we had to go. The day had potential. The last race was really nice. There was very little wind in the first two races. We started with six knots and dropped to four knots. In the third race we were (Red: after two races on the flat Corniche course) on another course (Ed.: Frioul). Then we had about ten or eleven knots."
A false start in the second race cost the Bavarian duo an even better position after incorrect timekeeping. However, Meggendorfer/Spranger made a very promising start to their Olympic premiere with 6th, 21st (BFD, early start under black flag) and 3rd place. After three races, the 49er field is led by the New Zealanders Isaac Kale McHardie/William McKenzie.
The French crews had a particularly emotional experience at the start of their home games, as 49er foresailor Clément Péquin recounted after the start in front of 12,500 spectators in the fan zone on the beach and in Club 2024: "We received an incredible welcome when we left the marina. We tried to get as close as possible to the audience, which was really large. We even had a little tear in our eye. It was really something special. Now we were really on our way to the Olympic Games. That gave us even more of a boost."
Black day for a Grael scion
Brazil's Marco Soffiatti Grael - brother of 49er FX helmswoman and double Olympic champion Martine Grael and son of two-time Olympic champion and five-time Olympic medallist Torben Grael - and his cox Gabriel Silva Simoes, on the other hand, had a black day. The helmsman with the famous name had already been disqualified from two races at the Olympic Games in Enoshima because his harness waistcoat was too heavy and he did not make it past 16th place.
In Marseille there was another severe penalty: After the team was seen polishing the 49er hull in the bay of Marseille two days before the start of the regatta, the International Jury deducted 30 per cent of the crew's points for race one. The offence was deemed a breach of the rule that prohibits sailors from "carrying out work on the boat after the pre-regatta inspection that is not permitted under the class rules. As a result, Marco Soffiatti Grael and Gabriel Silva Simoes only finished 20th and last in the fleet with a daily performance of 21 (DPI), 14 and 16 points.
Sister Martine Grael, who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals with her foresailor Kahena Kunze in Rio de Janeiro and Enoshima, was in eighth place in Marseille after three races (13, 5, 6) - five places behind Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille.
The programme for sailing day 2 at Olympia
On day two of the Olympic regatta, races 4 to 6 are on the programme for the skiff sailors in the Bay of Marseille on Monday. The iQFoil windsurfers will also be making their second attempt to get into the Olympic light wind game. The races will be broadcast on Monday from 12 noon on the ZDF live stream. Record Bundesliga winner Tobias Schadewaldt will commentate.
