Another day of light wind meant the women were only on the water long enough to race once, but the men completed two races and that was enough to reshuffle the standings.
Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek made the most of his outing, winning race six, which was enough to edge him in front of Singapore’s Max Maeder.
© Sailing Energy: Toni Vodisek reclaims the lead
Despite finishing fourth in race seven, Maeder was unable to hold onto the top spot, after also placing 11th in the opening race of the day.
Austria’s Valentin Bontus remained third overall, with a 20th placed finish in race seven anchoring his performance.
© Sailing Energy: Two lightwind races for the men and one for the women in Marseilles
France’s Lauriane Nolot made the most of the day, winning the first and only race to move into the lead.
Some of the women didn't manage to keep their kite flying, and were not able to start the race. Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler, dropped out of the top three altogether following the DNS score.
Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge also received a DNS, but held on to second overall as USA’s Daniela Moroz finished seventh, which was not enough to overtake the British athlete.
© Sailing Energy: Light winds means a lot of rescue and wet kites
Vodisek said: “My girlfriend’s coming soon so that’s going to make everything easier. It’s a bit unfortunate she couldn’t be here before as she brings the best out of me. There’s going to be another level when she turns up and there’ll be an end to the video games. Everybody’s putting their best out there, but it’s really fun and I have to say, I’m really enjoying being on the biggest stage in the world".
Maeder said: “There was an incident so I had to take a penalty turn and from then on it was perhaps not the best race, but it was a thrilling one nonetheless and good that I didn’t get disqualified. It’s a privilege to be here. Sometimes the weather doesn’t play well, it’s part of the sport. I think we’re all used to it. Of course, we’d love to go racing".
© Sailing Energy: Lauriane Nolot and Axel Mazella in home waters
Nolot said: “I think I was super focused and even before we started, I saw the wind was dying on one side. I had a good start and it was windy where I went. I think it’s the light wind Olympic Games. Every race matters which is why I’m super focused in every single race.”
Moroz said: “It was very light wind, very tricky survival conditions again. I was happy to make it around and not swim. I had a really good plan in my head and I executed it, but it didn’t end up being the right plan for that race. Off the start I got pinned out going left.”
HOW IT WORKS
Opening Series: On the first four days of the competition, riders compete in up to 16 races, with the objective to earn as high a ranking as possible. The top two at the end of this Opening Series qualify automatically for the Grand Final, while those ranked 3rd to 10th go into the Semi-Finals.
Semi Finals: Those 8 remaining riders are split into two equal strength semi-finals. The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the higher ranked in each semi-final carrying over two race wins, while the second in each semi-final carries over one race win. One rider from each semi-final, qualifies to make up a final four in the Grand Final.
Grand Final: The leader from the opening series starts with two race wins, and the second ranked has one. The goal is to secure three race wins, with competition ending as soon as someone achieves this. That means that the Grand Final can last from a single race to as many as six.
© Sailing Energy: Huge crowds watching the races every day
