Sailing Grand Slam: Half-time at the Spanish classic - new dream team in the skiff?

It's fun to see the Olympic sailors back in action after the winter break. "And it's fun for us to finally be competing again," says Fabian Rieger.

New Dream Team in the 49er?

Together with the German-Maltese Richard Schultheis, Fabian Rieger forms the GER team of the moment at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía. The 19-year-old helmsman and his ten-year-older coxswain, who celebrated his 29th birthday in Palma on 31 March, are getting their newly formed Olympic campaign off to a strong start.

Schultheis/Rieger ended the third day of the Spanish classic with their second race win of the week. At the halfway point, Richard Schultheis, who was born in Berlin and grew up in Malta, and his fellow competitor Fabian Rieger, who was born in Wiesbaden and grew up in Berlin, are the front runners in the field of 91 (!) 49ers.

Fabian Rieger has been sailing the 49er since 2014 and won a European Championship title with his former helmsman Tim Fischer, as well as World Championship bronze in 2018, before steering himself for the last year and a half. He is now back in his former position as foreship and feels right at home with his young helmsman. "Richard has a good feel for the boat and is a calm, relaxed and determined guy," says Rieger, describing his new helmsman.

Richard Schultheis new to the German Sailing Team

It was only at the beginning of the year that Richard Schultheis decided to contest his 49er Olympic campaign under the umbrella of the German Sailing Team after careful consideration and a visit to northern Germany. The 2024 49er Youth World Champion was accepted into the prospective squad there in view of his previous successes. Since January, his new club home has been the North German Regatta Club and the NRV Olympic Team.

Fabian Rieger lives in Kiel and competes for the Berlin club Seglerhaus am Wannsee. He is currently still without a place in the squad, but wants to fight for it with Richard Schultheis at the Skiff World Championships off Sardinia in October. "Fabi approached me and this is now the team we're going into the future with," said Richard Schultheis at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía.

The two athletes met late last summer on Lake Garda when they sailed a 49er together for the first time. A crew with exciting potential has now grown from these roots, but they are under no illusions that they still have a long way to go. "This is only the first regatta. And it's only half-time. We know that there is potential. But we also know that there is still a lot of work ahead of us and that we have to keep our focus," says Fabian Rieger.

Strong day for Ole Schweckendiek

The athletes from the German Sailing Team are also in good early form in other disciplines at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía on course for the 2028 Olympics. In the 470 Mixed, Theresa Löffler and Christopher Hoerr (Deutscher Touring Yacht Club/Segelclub Breitbrunn Chiemsee) have worked their way up to third place after six races at the halfway point.

Just behind them on Wednesday evening, Simon Diesch and Anna Markfort (Württembergischer Yacht-Club/Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee) were still well in contention in fifth place. The Italians Elena Berta and Giulio Calabro have taken the lead here.

In the women's 49erFX skiff, three German teams have finished in the top ten after nine races: Olympic sixth-placed Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille (Mühlenberger Segel-Club) have moved up to third place. Sophie Steinlein and Catherine Bartelheimer (Norddeutscher Regatta Verein/Segelclub Inning am Ammersee) were fifth on Wednesday evening, while Women's America's Cup helmswoman Maru Scheel and Freya Feilcke from Kieler Yacht-Club were tenth.

In the Ilca 7, Ole Schweckendiek from Kiel, who is only 20 years old, recently shone with 8th and 9th places, allowing the 2023 U19 World Champion to move up to 26th place as the best helmsman from the German Sailing Team at the halfway point in the field of 174 Ilca 7 sailors from all over the world. Among the iQFOiL windsurfers, Theresa Steinlein, who finished sixth at the Olympics, remained in the best attacking mood and position in fourth place after a series of three third places in a row.

After food poisoning: out for mouse

Olympic fifth-placed Jannis Maus, on the other hand, was forced to call off his start to the new Olympics early. Heavily weakened by food poisoning last weekend, Germany's top kiter had still managed to bite his way through the first day of the Trofeo, but by then his strength was already lacking.

In order to protect his health, Jannis Maus and his coach have decided to cancel the series. The Oldenburg native wants to attack again at the second Sailing Grand Slam of the post-Olympic season off Hyères at the end of April. Click here for the intermediate results in all ten Olympic disciplines at the Trofeo Princesa Sofía.

Interview with Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger - a look back at day 2 of the Trofeo Prinecsa Sofía: