OLYMPIC GAMES 2008

OLYMPIC GAMES 2008 - QINGDAO, CHINA

Sunday 17th

Ben Ainslie, GBR: “It felt like it would never come but there was great breeze and to win the race as well, I am a happy man. Conditions have been really tough, the light winds have been a real strength of will but today was a complete turnaround. I approached the race a bit differently to yesterday, as because the breeze was so light yesterday I couldn’t let Zach get away from me but today I was confident that with my boat speed and fitness I could get away and it all came good.

“You take each Games as it comes. Each one has been tough and we’ll see what happens in the future but I’ve enjoyed every minute of my Olympic sailing career, I’ve been very lucky. The draw of 2012 and racing on your home waters is huge. It's a long way away but if I've got a chance to be there and do well, I'd love to do it."

"Today we had a nice little rain with wind up to 20 knots. It's a lot like sailing at home in Britain."

"I tried to keep my eye on the American during the start of the race. After a little while, I just went on and tried to sail my own race. I made some big gains during the second half of the first leg. The last downwind was a little scary. I kept telling myself, 'don't capsize, don‘t capsize'. All in all, this is my best last race in all of the four Olympics that I've participated in."

"This feeling is truly amazing, and it‘s a massive relief. I could open the Champagne right now and rightfully so."

“I’m kind of speechless, it felt like it would never come but there was great breeze and to win the race as well, I am a happy man.

“Conditions have been really tough, the light winds have been a real strength of will but today was a complete turnaround. I approached the race a bit differently to yesterday, as because the breeze was so light yesterday I couldn’t let Zach get away from me but today I was confident that with my boat speed and fitness I could get away and it all came good.”
Source: RYA/ISAF

Zach Railey, USA: "I was late at the start. Ben was trying to force me to the back of the fleet, which cost me about 30 seconds. Other than that, I sailed very well today."

"It's a big relief. I am proud of myself. The first thing I'll do after going back to America is to see my two sisters in Florida."

"I had a little chat with Ben. I told him that I know that he wants to secure his Gold medal, and I Just wanted to secure my Silver."

"I will continue my training step by step, and goal by goal. I will definitely go for the Gold. It's just one more place to go."

"It has always been my dream to stand on the Olympic podium. The fact that it‘s Silver and not Gold is not important to me."

Source: ISAF

Guillaume Florent, FRA: " I didn't think this to be possible before coming here ! This is my first regatta in Qingdao!”

"Everyone needs some luck sometimes, and today I had it. Today was my day. I made my gain at the second upwind. I didn't care about the position, I just needed to put two boats between Sweden and myself and I did."

"I am going to sleep for 48 hours. I am really thankful for my father, my family members, and everyone that had helped me in the past."

Source: ISAF

Daniel Birgmark, SWE: I just missed it today, didn't have a supergood start and came a little behind in the beginning. At the same time Florent found a very good path on the left side of the course and rounded in the top. I came back in the race but not good enough. As there were many sailors fighting for the medals I could not watch out for any specific sailor. I just had to do my own race. I had good speed and tactics upwind and mostly very good starts. Missed couple of big shifts on the downwinds in the first two races. Apart from that I'm happy with my performance in the regatta but of course disappointed to just miss the medal.

Saturday 16

Ben Ainslie, GBR: “It was massively frustrating – I felt like I had one hand on the trophy there,” Ainslie commented. “We hung around for quite a while and eventually got one race going after a couple of aborted attempts.

“Halfway through the race I was in a very good position with the American guy right at the back of the fleet so for the wind to die out and the race to be abandoned was very frustrating.

“I’m going to have to come out fighting tomorrow and try to do it all again.”

Source: RYA

Zach Railey, USA: “I think that what Ben did given the very shifty conditions was a good play and that was something that I was expecting. I am just trying to get in a good race and Ben is trying to prevent that with the conditions we had today. For tomorrow, I will go out and just try to have a good start and get in a solid race. But for sure the race committee made the correct call because we would not have made it back upwind and back down to the finish with a fair race.”

Guillaume Florent, FRA: “The conditions were not up to an Olympic final. The racing area is already not easy to race but this was impossible. Luckily, the race committee took the right decision. It is not fun to do our sport in these conditions and I suppose it is the same for the spectators. I wasn’t in good place after the first lap but everyone stopped at the same time. Anything could have happened!”

Friday 15th

Ben Ainslie, GBR: “I was a little bit disappointed because I had a good start and a pretty good lead at one point. It was a bit reminiscent of the first race of the series when I let a big lead slip but fortunately second was still a good result and it put some more boats between myself and Zach which will be very important going into the medal race.”

They both had a pretty poor first leg. Zach, who’s had a very consistent series, realised that he was never going to into a good enough position to make it count for him so he was better off stopping and waiting for the French guy and just make sure that he had a bad race. It was pretty good tactics really by Zach, and good for me because it gave me a little bit more breathing space!”

“"It’s not over yet by a long way, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and sailing a good race.”

Source: RYA

Wednesday 13th

Ben Ainslie, GBR: “It was a pretty difficult race – the wind was very, very light out there on the course and it was a little bit scary at times! It was probably the lightest day’s sailing we’ve had so far and when it’s that light, any change in wind in percentage terms makes that much more effect on the fleet. So if you get slightly more breeze than most of the other boats you can make a huge gain. If you get it wrong, you’re kind of stuck!”

Source: RYA

Dan Slater, NZL: "Today was very light 4-5 knots I had a great start and headed out towards the left hand side of the course and really just got to greedy trying to do something special and went round the first mark in mid fleet. Down the first run I sailed really bad downwind which has been the story of my regatta losing 5-10 boats a run. Up the second beat I came back into the race and crossed the finish in 13th. This puts me in 12th overall and looking to make the medal race with 3 races to go but the reality is we will only sail two more so will have to pull finger tomorrow to save some face. I will be back to the basics which I haven't been doing well and that’s what is disappointing as there are some things that I can control and some that are in the hands of the gods."

Eduardo Couto, BRA: “The conditions are very difficult, and the positions change a lot. When you are in front it is difficult to cover the fleet, and sometimes from behind you can have big gains too, so I think everybody is having a hard time this week. But I am really happy with my performance, I think I have good speed in light winds and have sailed pretty good in some races, so I am enjoying the sailing here in Qingdao. It is easy to have bad races, so I think you have to sail very conservatively and not take too many risks. Right now, being in the top 10 it is really good for me. I am just disappointed to have that second yellow flag in race three, where I was doing very good, but it is part of the game. I just have to be careful now, and pray for the light winds for the next few days.”

Anthony Nossiter, AUS: “There is more weed here than any other sailing venue, but none compared to how it was. I’ve cleared the rudder a few times, but the weed seems to break up at the bow and is too fragile to hitch a ride."

Pieter-Jan Postma, NED: "At first I sailed too much in my own boat. I did not look enough outside the boat. Then I changed the balance and looked more outside the boat at the bigger picture on wind and current, but I was not able to read the wind properly and didn't get a grip on it. For that reason I changed my strategy to not take the initiative, but follow what happens on the water with the fleet. I have always sailed races while taking the initiative myself so it is hard to adjust to that but yesterday's second place felt like a confirmation that I am still able to pull it off." Today Postma placed 10th and moved up to 14th, just 15 points short of the medal race zone.

Tuesday 12th

Anthony Nossiter, AUS: “I’ve not had the best regatta for myself so far, but the long downwinds into the current keep the fleet very tight. A few pumps can make a big difference, but jury is on the spot to catch those who get too excited. However long upwinds instead of the long downwinds are expected for the next part of the regatta with the turn of the current.”

“But life here in the village is very comfortable. A few social beverages were had last night by a bunch of Finn lads. It’s been rather gentlemanly yachting; a few incidents have been fairly traded on the water and not taken to the protest room.”

Eduardo Couto, BRA: “I am very happy with my performance. I don’t have so much time in the class, so if I can be in the medal race on the last day I will be very satisfied. The conditions here are very tricky, so it is difficult to have a game plan, but I will try to sail more conservatively, not take so many risks, and try to sail with most of the fleet. I think in the next four races we will see big changes on the scores.”

Chris Cook, CAN: “With the exception of race five I am happy with my sailing so far. I have made some mistakes but have made up for them with good downwind speed. I have a general plan for each race in that I want to stay consistently in the top eight for every race. That way I don't take too many risks trying to make something great but I am also there to take advantage of others mistakes and make better results than seventh or eighth.”

On if he will change anything for Wednesday, “Nothing. I think others will do part of my work for me by making mistakes so I will stay the course and keep working for top eight finishes.”

Giorgio Poggi, ITA: “What I see is that the sailors like Jonas, Emilios, PJ, Ivan, Rafa, Dan had a lot of pressure at the beginning of the competition because they were aiming for a medal. Then there are sailors like me who just want to have good races. In the first day of I was first and second to the first mark and then I finished seventh and 17^th. There was too much pressure in seeing all those sailors behind me. But after that I calmed down and everything went much better.”

Jonas Høgh-Christensen, DEN: “Nothing has worked for me. I’ve been unlucky, and sailed bad. But I will continue to try to do my best. I need four top five results to even get close to a medal again. Sailing wise I’m not really enjoying myself, but the rest is great and the mood is good between the sailors in our class.”

Pieter-Jan Postma , NED: “Very tricky conditions here. For me there's no system I can understand. That's why you've seen no results from me yet. The competition has been really good, with close racing. A lot of the races you finish so close, that you can win and lose five places in a eyewink. Today it's a day off, time to refuel and tomorrow it's another hot and battling racing day. It will be extremely exciting in the front. We’ll see where the wind blows.”

Balazs Hajdu, HUN: “The infrastructure in the Olympic Marina and the Olympic Village is maybe the best of recent Olympics. The marina is a short walk away from the 5 star hotel transferred to the Village for the regatta. However Finn sailors are maybe getting bored of the food in the village as half of the fleet came to enjoy the unmatched open buffet dinner at nearby Shangri-La Hotel, the HQ for IOC delegates and guests in Qingdao. It was great to see Finn sailors of different nationalities seated around the same table and joking with their fellows and on-water opponents.”

“It is quite moving to see how tough it is for sailors to handle these extreme light and shifty wind conditions spiced with the strong current. However, all sailors have anticipated these conditions and prepared themselves mentally to be able to master these psychologically difficult situations. It is great to see smiling faces at dinner although, especially when you know that the owner of that face has just lost his medal hopes. This shows however that sailors look ahead, try to get rid of the past and concentrate only on next race, knowing that this is their only way to handle the extremes of the 2008 Olympic Regatta.”

“I have never seen Ben with such tired eyes after a day's racing as today. Restless concentration and body control in the light and shifty winds as well as choppy waves take all the energy out of the sailors. The climate is however much better than in Beijing. We have experienced clear skies, temperatures in the high twenties and low thirties with moderate humidity in recent days”.

Monday 11th

Giorgio Poggi, ITA: "I'm really happy about my races. I have really good speed in upwind, downwind is ok.... Sometimes I make some mistake because of the experience... But I'm very satisfied.... 12th after 6 races in my first Olympics ! Now I plan to continue like this and try to be in top 10."

Guillaume Florent, FRA: "It was another big day. It is tough. I had decided not to take too much risk. In the first race I played it safe and tried to position myself securely. In the second race I came back to the score little by little. The outcome after these three days: it is not easy, certain things are happening, and its looks more like an elimination race. It is a very tricky racing area, but we have to do with it and so far I am quite happy with myself.”

Dan Slater, NZL: "Today I was better again scoring a 9th and 7th but still not really enough having been 4th in the first race and the fleet rotating down the first run. With 4 races left to sail before a medal race everyone has a discard now and is counting all there finishing positions form now on. We have the day off tomorrow and will be back on the water on Weds for another 2 races which im looking forward to as I still have nothing to lose and everything to gain and going by today we saw some big scores again from the racing. Really you only have to look at the results to see that the racing is really random and not really how you would like to have a regatta that you have spent 4 years building up for but it is what it is and I will keep fighting my way back."

Ben Ainslie, GBR: “It was a good race in the first, but I would have liked to done a lot better in the second so that was pretty disappointing. But still a long way to go, and it’s good to be at the right end of the fleet. It’s really just about finding a lane and finding some breeze and you can use your technique,” Ainslie explained. “If you get stuck in the fleet like I did in that second race then it’s hard to make the gains. The tide is almost twice as strong as anywhere else we sail in the world, and the breeze is very light, it’s very fickle and changing direction subtly, but it’s very important to pick up those subtle changes in direction. Everyone’s a bit up and down and it’s a case of when you’re not doing so well trying to pull back some places and make the race count.”

Source: RYA

Sunday 10th

Dan Slater, NZL: Today the breeze never built above 7-8 knots and was very patchy again. In the first race I had a average first beat and then down the run had sailed myself into the top 10 so things were looking up but we were all really close. Then just before the bottom mark I was given a yellow flag for rocking the boat so I had to do a 720 degree penalty turn. That put me back to almost last and I finished the race 18th. I have only ever been yellow flagged 6 times since 1994 and every time has been by the same Judge. The second race was much better with a good start and I rounded the first mark 7th or 8th and then on the run I was able to gain a few to go round the bottom mark 4th. Up the second beat it looked like I was leading for a while till the wind shifted back to the left a little and I rounded a close 3rd at the top mark. On the final run I lost 1 boat to finish 4th and at least post a counter on the scoreboard. So although there are plenty points still to catch up its been done before and I will just take one race at a time."

Zach Railey, USA:

- On leading the Olympics after two days: « I had another good day ! It feels really good to be leading the Olympics, however there are lot more races to come and I try not to look at the result and take one race at a time.”

- On scoring top 5 races: “Some races, I got really lucky. It is a mixture of luck and skills. I try to execute everything properly and avoid big mistakes. I try to get a good start and a good first beat.”

- On Ben’s win on last leg: “ Ben sailed a really good downwind, he was very fast, credit to him he raced really well.” Ben took the lead from Zach ¾ down the last run.

- On today’s conditions and race area E: “Course E has much less current than A, especially during the first race. The wind was also stronger but very puffy and with different zones of pressure. The issue of the race comes down on who gets the last puffs on the last run.”

- About the place changes during the race: “The fleet is very close so every puff sees changes in placing. Especially downwind, where the major gains and losses are made.”

Saturday 9th

Tomasz Chamera, Polish Sailing Team leader: “It is amazing to see Rafal in the lead of an Olympic event. But it is not a huge surprise. Rafal has worked very hard here in Qingdao over the past weeks and was one of the best during the Finn training sessions. However, it is just the beginning with eight races to go, but the truth is that even if you can't win a regatta on a first day even with great results, you can lose it on the first day with bad results. So, so far so good. Today, Rafal was consistent and made good tactics. He has applied all we have worked on recently and it is proving successful.”

Pieter-Jan Postma, NED: "I was relaxed and very focussed before the start, had a bad start but recovered well. My boatspeed was fine. I was sixth or seventh in both races but I eventually I finished badly. It was very difficult. A lot of things happened outside the boat with the wind and the current that I did not register on time. I did not get my head out of the boat enough. For tomorrow we will not change anything but I have to improve my overall performance.

Dan Slater, NZL: "Not the start to a regatta you would normally want but today we sailed two races that were in very fickle conditions. I just never got in the races and wasn’t able to hold any lanes. So tomorrow I will swap back to my other mast and with some luck we will have some slightly better breeze and I can go boat racing. I feel very disappointed by the day but feel good about bouncing back and letting some of the others have a day like mine. It was really a day of luck and mine wasn’t there but im in good spirits with lots of Yachting to go yet. Tonight is the Opening ceremony for the Qingdao Olympic Sailing venue which I will carry the NZ flag."

Guillaume Florent, FRA: “The sailing area is really weird, with lots of current compared with the wind. With these conditions, I will not take any risks at the start as I don’t want to be pushed over the line by the current. I started on second row and anyway the beats are not that important. You can round the top mark in 15^th place and come back on the run. We must concentrate until the very end, especially downwind. I am happy with my downwind speed where I can compete with the best. However, I am slower upwind, especially in winds around 6 to 8 knots. Unfortunately there is not much to do about it. Generally my first day was good, with two races in the top ten. This was a good start even if I thought I could win one. A puff of wind pushed some sailors who were trying a risky coup to come back and pass me.”

Ben Ainslie, GBR: "The first race is a great example of that where I was in the lead and the breeze shut down and came in from a different direction, and I lost 10 places. It’s something I think we’re all going to have to deal with here. It’s going to happen to everyone at some stage. It’s just about trying to keep your powder dry and wait for your chances. My own experience with the Olympics has always been having a disastrous first day, so it doesn’t feel quite so bad. Hopefully I can build from this in due course.”

Friday 8th

Dan Slater, NZL: "Well tomorrow is really what the last four years has all been about and its exciting that it has finally come round. I have had a great build up and everything has been great. The boat feels good and looks good I feel good about my preparation and am looking forward to tomorrow. The Olympic village here in Qingdao is fantastic and really a credit to the Chinese for this awesome facility. On the International Finn website Zach the Finn sailor from the USA has posted a video tour of the village and marina. Today I went out for a final sail with Ben Ainslie and Peer Moberg from Norway and this was a really good day to just go sailing and enjoy it with nothing really to much to do except feel good in the boat and do some time on distance stuff in the current."