Australian 49ers set to win a medal in the ISAF Worlds
The Australian pair finished Saturday’s three Gold fleet races with an impressive 17 point overall lead.
As the rest of the fleet battled for a position in Sunday’s (18 December) top 10 Medal race, Outteridge and Jensen placed fifth, seventh and tenth, bringing their points tally to 85.
“It’s a good feeling,” Outteridge said. “We’ve been toughing it out all week and it’s been really close on points, and now we’ve got a 17 point lead so hopefully tomorrow we can just avoid coming last and that will be enough to win it for us.”
World number two Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) also had a great day on the water, making a stunning come-back from 22nd place to make it into the top 10 thanks to three wins in the last two days.
The Austrian pair had two firsts and an eighth on Saturday, putting them seventh place overall with 123 points.
“It was a great day for us,” Resch said. “It started already yesterday with the first sea breeze race which we won, and we had a good feeling in today’s racing too.”
Despite holding first place throughout the week, John Pink and Rick Peacock (GBR) had a disappointing day, placing an unsatisfactory 24th in race 13 and 23rd in race 15.
“Today was not the best day for us,” Peacock said. “We didn’t get off to great starts in both the races and starting really is the key. Now we’re just hoping that tomorrow can bring us a silver medal.”
This result means the British have dropped from the lead to third with 106 points, bumping Emil and Simon Toft Nielsen (DEN) into second place with 102 points.
Stand outs for Saturday’s racing also included Yann Rocherieux and Mathieu Frei (FRA), who battled closely with their fellow French team, Noe Delpech and Julien d’Ortoli, to cross the line second in race 13 and first in race 14.
Outteridge and Jensen are guaranteed a medal in Sunday’s final but must beat the Toft Nielsen brothers in order to secure the World Championship.
The 49er Medal Race is scheduled to begin at 1410 local time on Sunday 18 December on Centre Course.
Medal Race Competitors: (subject to protest)
- Outteridge and Jensen (AUS)
- Toft Nielsen and Toft Nielsen (DEN)
- Pink and Peacock (GBR)
- Burling and Tuke (NZL)
- Warrer and Hansen (DEN)
- Storck and Moore (USA)
- Delle Karth and Resch (AUT)
- Seaton and McGovern (IRL)
- Evans and Powys (GBR)
- Noerregaard and Lang (DEN)