From the top position to the medal start, Sinem Kurtbay and Akseli Keskinen failed in only one start. They had to settle for silver in the Paris Pre-Olympic sailing Nacra 17 class.
Nacra 17 class sailors Sinem Kurtbay and Central axis succeeded perfectly in the regatta held in Marseille, which also served as the pre-Olympic Games in Paris next summer. The Finnish duo started the medal start in the top position, but the ninth place in the last start dropped them to second place in the overall results.
– It was a good regatta, but it’s a shame that the worst start and race came in this last start. The worst ranking of the entire regatta was ninth, so I guess you can be satisfied with that, Keskinen commented in the association’s press release.
In Kurtbay’s opinion, the two had an even race, except for the medal start.
– In the medal start, we didn’t get far enough to the left, where the wind was better. We fell behind the others and on the short track it was difficult to catch up. But that’s okay, you have to be satisfied with this second place as well. Next time again, Kurtbay said.
Italian Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei won the medal race and the entire regatta. British John Gimson and Anna Burnet were third.
The regatta was organized in the competition harbor being prepared for the Paris Olympics, and the sailors were tested in different wind conditions. Coaching manager of the national team Vili Kaijansinkon according to the Finnish team tried to learn and test as much as possible in the preliminaries.
Kaarle Tapper finished 10th in the ILCA 7 class. Monika Mikkola was 13th overall in the ILCA 6 class, as well Nora Ruskola In the Formula Kite class. Ronja Grönblom and Veera Hokka were 11th in the 49er FX class.
The Finnish national team will next head to the Netherlands, where the joint World Cup competitions of all Olympic categories will be held from 11th to 20th. August. Around 40 percent of the land spots for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be allocated at the World Championships in The Hague.
Source: Suomen Parjehdus and Veneily’s bulletin