The shifty conditions of Day 5 brought plenty of opportunity for the riders during the final fleet races of the regatta. After a drizzly start to the morning, the weather soon cleared to deliver a steadily increasing breeze right on time for racing. Wind speeds picked up to 26knots, with the same intimidating Atlantic swell that the riders have been battling all week off the beautiful shores of Viana do Castelo.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk - Benoit Gomez (FRA)
‘Fortune favours the brave’ proved true for France’s Benoit Gomez, who set the tone for the day with a courageous port flyer in the opening race of the men’s fleet. The decisive move launched the French rider into the lead, leaving Maeder to fight his way back through the fleet. The Singaporean once again showed his ability to capitalise on every opportunity, climbing through the fleet to claim the 2nd place, with Slovenia's Toni Vodisek taking the win. It’s hard to believe that this is Maeder's worst result of the regatta amongst a near perfect scoreline of bullets! Although a seemingly flawless day, Maeder didn’t see it quite like that, acknowledging there are always improvements to be made. “I wanted to bring my best sailing today. Which didn’t actually happen until race 4 because I had a problem with my equipment. I think the biggest lesson from today is about how I can bring it back by staying calm and relaxed and kind of get back into control of my own racing. Yes, of course the results sheet may not reflect that fully, but that’s the way performance goes, you always look at what you can do best or better.” Maeder noted that he knew that he only had to complete only two ‘ok’ races today and he would be in the finals tomorrow and could go back to the beach, but instead wanted to focus on the sailing. “I tried to follow my routine and process as much as possible, it is day 5 of the regatta, so I think we’re all feeling it a little bit!”
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk - Maximilian Maeder (SGP)
The final race of the day saw a beautiful precursor to tomorrow's finals, with an impressive battle between Maeder and training partner Gian Stragiotti. The young Swiss rider found his form in the final race following a trickier day on the water. However, on a day where the rest of the fleet struggled to find consistency, Stragiotti did enough to maintain his overall 2nd place heading into tomorrow's medal series.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk - Gian Stragiotti (SUI)
Jessie Kampman showed equally steady nerves. The leader of the women’s fleet crashed early in the first race but quickly reset to head out to the righthand side of the course - a move that paid well for the Dutch rider. “There was a huge right shift, so I caught the fleet up and finished second”. Kampman maintained her form, battling for the top position in every race alongside Lauriane Nolot.
Sitting second and with a 38 point lead over the chasing pack, Nolot was guaranteed a place in the final so chose to sit out the final race.
“Now it’s game on tomorrow, so I'm putting everything into being in shape, to be 200%” said the French rider whilst watching the others complete the last race.
Kampman had considered a similar strategy, however after breaking her kite the day before, she was keen to take her 11m out for a test run before the final tomorrow. It paid well since the winds had picked up a few more knots for this final race, and the 11m gave her a good advantage on the upwind legs.
© IKA media/Robert Hajduk - Elena Lengwiler (SUI)
The all important battle for 10th was a hot topic for today’s racing; with incredible depth in the field, the women kept us on our toes heading into the final cut.
As it stands, it is Swiss rider Elena Lengwiler who just makes it through to tomorrow’s Medal Series, tied on points with 11th place Australia’s Breiana Whitehead. The Swiss rider showed exceptional pace earlier in the week and fought hard today, delivering some convincing third-place finishes to seal her place in the finals.
Medal Series
As we head into tomorrow’s medal series, it’s all to play for, with the top two riders in both the men’s and women’s fleets advancing straight into their respective finals, each carrying a one-bullet advantage. The rest of the top 10 will battle it out through the three stages of the Medal Series: Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final.
Kiteboards ranked third to fifth in the Opening Series qualify directly for the Semi-Final, while those ranked sixth to tenth enter the Quarter-Final. From there, the top two advance to the Semi-Final, where they join the pre-qualified riders.
The top two riders from the Semi-Final go through to the Final. The Final is won by the first rider to score two wins.
Live Coverage
Live coverage of the Medal Series on Day 6 will be available on the IKA Youtube channel tomorrow, Saturday 16th April: @kiteclasses
Women's Results: https://fir.com.pl/results/IKA/women.html
Men's Results: https://fir.com.pl/results/IKA/men.html
Words by Jemima Crathorne
