Olympics: Furious Friday? Two skiff sailors and a windsurfer with medal chances
Tatjana Pokorny
· 01.08.2024
As Theresa Steinlein and Sebastian Kördel stood almost side by side in the mixed zone during interviews on Thursday evening after their final races of the windsurfing main round in still scorching heat, their sporting and emotional worlds could hardly have been more different. One of them - Theresa Steinlein - had just earned her place in the finals of the new Olympic iQFoil boarding event. And with it the chance to fight for an Olympic medal on Friday. The other - Sebastian Kördel - was denied a place in the final, even though he was so close after a rocky first day of windsurfing and a great comeback.
Kördel four points short of reaching the final
After a protest that did not directly affect him and the race disqualification of a Spaniard late on Thursday evening, Sebastian Kördel was four points short of making it into the top ten after just 13 of the 20 races originally planned. They will now fight for the medals on Friday without him. "Such a shame," said the 1.91 metre tall 2022 World Champion, referring to the last race, which he was leading by a large margin in complicated winds when it was cancelled. A third race win would have easily carried him into the final. Instead, the Radolfzeller, who had started the Olympic premiere of the board foilers as one of the favourites, was eliminated.
"I'm very disappointed," admitted Kördel candidly. In the interview after the knockout blow, the 33-year-old had to struggle for composure under a wide hat brim and behind mirrored sunglasses. Then he also found a positive perspective: "I'm very happy about my two race victories, which not everyone manages at the Olympics. They have shown that I belong here." At the moment of his heavy defeat, that was a small consolation. His two race victories are the only ones so far for the German national sailing team. Three athletes will try to extend this record in their final races on Friday.
Theresa Steinlein is one of them after the happy end to her main round. The former sailor, who only switched to windsurfing four years ago, earned her place in the final series after 14 races, finishing 3rd, 11th, 12th, (16th), 16th, 13th, 2nd, 5th, 5th, 13th and 12th. These points will no longer play a role in her quarter-final.
Anything is possible for Theresa Steinlein in the Olympic final
The windsurfing final format is as simple as it is brutal: the windsurfers in fourth to tenth place at the end of the main round will compete in a single quarter-final heat. The top two quarter-finalists will meet the second and third placed in the main round in a semi-final heat. Once again, the two best semi-finalists will go through to the final, for which, in the case of the women, Emma Wilson, who came first in the main round, is already seeded. The Brit has performed so strongly in the bay of Marseille that she is already guaranteed a medal. Which one it will be will be decided by a final run against the two best semi-finalists.
The windsurfing format is as simple as it is promising. Even someone like Theresa Steinlein, who finished eighth after the main round, can still become an Olympic champion. "Anything is possible," says the tenacious fighter who, like Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille, is now making German fans dream overnight. The most successful windsurfer from the NRV Olympic Team in Hamburg will start in the women's iQFoil quarter-finals on Friday at 2 pm.
I believe that success at the Olympics is ultimately a mental task" (Theresa Steinlein)
The twin sister of the 49er FX sailor and strategist of the Germany SailGP team has enjoyed her Olympic premiere so far, despite the many tough tests and waiting times, as she says: "Yes, the area here is super patchy. But I like it because you have to think for yourself. I'm happy that the wind has been like this so far - you don't have to be heavy and shoot into the corners." Because the winds could also weaken on Friday according to the latest forecasts, there was initially a lot of planning on Thursday evening for the scheduling of the races for four medal decisions.
Will the winds allow "Plan A" on Friday?
The spokesman for the World Sailing Federation described the following variant as "Plan A": The medal races for the skiff sailors, which cannot be held on Thursday in light winds, are to be held on Friday at 12.10 pm (49er FX) and 1.10 pm (49er). The windsurfers could start their quarter-finals at 2 pm, followed directly by the semi-finals and final.
A scenario was described as "Plan B" which, in the event of an obvious lack of wind, would see the windsurfing finals actively postponed to Saturday at midday, while the skiff medal races would be postponed until late Friday afternoon. In the event of a total calm, the skiff sailors would also have the option of postponing to 3 August.
We are in good spirits" (Hanna Wille)
Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille reacted in a relaxed manner on Thursday after a long wait, a brief detour to the medal course, the cancellation of their final showdown and the postponement to the following day. Hanna Wille stated before the 49er FX showdown with a chance of a medal for her fifth-placed team, which was initially scheduled for Friday: "The postponement today could be an advantage for us because the favourites' nerves are more strained. Nothing has changed for us. We're looking forward to sailing the medal race and will enjoy competing here one last time at the Olympics."
Olympic showdowns: Are there cherries on the cake?
DSV Sports Director Nadine Stegenwalner was delighted for the successful women of the national sailing team in the Olympic harbour of Marseille. "Marla, Hanna and Theresa have organised a sensational event and have already won. They did a great job of overcoming all the challenges - the heat, challenging wind conditions and lots of waiting times. Everything that's still to come is cherries on the cake."
Parallel to the windsurfing races, the 49er final, which had already started with a convincing Spanish lead by Diego Botin and Florian Trittel but was cancelled again, and the FX bests, who were still waiting for their final without a final, Philipp Buhl (Segelclub Alpsee-Immenstadt/Norddeutscher Regatta Verein) and Julia Büsselberg (Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) also started their Olympic series on day five of the Olympic regatta in Marseille.
Ilca 7 helmsman Philipp Buhl opened his third Olympic participation well with seventh place before a self-inflicted collision and two penalty rings put him off the pace and he only finished 30th. Philipp Buhl will start his second race day on Tuesday in 18th place. The 34-year-old said: "I'm taking a good race, a good attitude and a bit of anger about the self-inflicted collision into the second day. I will take this series race by race and day by day, and above all I will not look back but forward."
Olympic turbulence viewed with good humour
Ilca 6 helmswoman Julia Büsselberg crossed the finish line in tenth place in the first and only race of her fleet. "One race is better than no race," said the 24-year-old Berliner with dry humour. She went on to report on the start of her Olympic premiere: "The conditions outside were actually better than expected: ten knots of wind, choppy waves. I got my focus points for the day relatively quickly. On the whole, I implemented them well and finished solidly." Julia Büsselberg's effort was one of the few things on this turbulent day in Marseille that was quick and easy to understand.
