Olympics 2008 Sailing : Yngling Class Results

The Yngling Class Race came to a fabulous finish with some of the best finishing at the top of the class in these only-for-women sailboat races.



THE RACE AS IT HAPPENED

Two of the three on the British Yngling team — Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb — defended their Yngling gold from 2004, with Pippa Wilson as third crew in Qingdao after she replaced Shirley Robertson of the Athens crew.

"When we crossed the line, the of three of us just looked at each other," said Ayton, the British skipper.


"Words cannot put any kind of meaning on it. " she said. "You just know that you're the best in the world at what you do."

Their victory came in Olympic sailing's first use of a medal race. The top 10 boats in a series of preliminary races advance to the medal final, which counts double in determining each boat's total score.

Going into the race, which was postponed from Saturday because the winds failed, the British women had a one-point lead on the Dutch team of Mandy Mulder, Annemieke Bes and Merel Witteveen. However, the final race turned into a battle between the British and the German trio of Ulrike Schuemann, Ute Hoepfner and Julia Bleck.

The British led the first two legs, surfing downwind in the choppy Yellow Sea with their spinnaker, only to be passed by the Germans on the third. On the final leg, the British fought back, and crossed the line seven seconds ahead of Germany, to win both the medal race and the gold medal. The Germans ended as No. 4 overall.

The Dutch, which had been the only team in a position to challenge the British crew, were No. 5 in the 10-boat fleet, a finish that secured them the silver.

"This is my first Olympic medal, but it is a pity that we didn't beat (Britain)," said Bes, of the Dutch boat.

The Greek trio of Sofia Bekatorou, who won the 470 class gold in Athens, Sofia Papadopoulou and Virginia Kravarioti finished third in the medal race to snatch the bronze in the close race with the rest of the fleet.

"We feel great for the 10 million Greeks back home," Bekatorou said about bronze.
(SOURCE)

OVERALL STANDINGS

GOLD - The Great Britain Team consisting of Sarah AYTON, Sarah WEBB and Pippa WILSON.


SILVER - The Netherlands Team consisting of Mandy MULDER, Annemieke BES and Merel WITTEVEEN.

BRONZE - The Greece Team consisting of Sofia BEKATOROU, Sofia PAPADOPOULOU and Virginia KRAVARIOTI.
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Olympic Results - 49er Class

And the results are out... The 49er results have been released and already there have been protests. The winners for the medal race are the Danish crew of Jonas WARRER and Martin IBSEN who have won the gold medal in the Skif.




Boat problem –
Just as the race was about to start the Danish team was already in a deep soup. The Danish team lost their mast just as the race had began. The Race Committee protested the Danish 49er because they had sailed the Medal Race in a boat borrowed from the Croatian crew (who were not competing in the Medal Race) after the mast on the Danish 49er snapped shortly before the start. The Protest hearing and Jury deliberations went on late into the night on Sunday and just before 01:00 was adjourned until Monday morning.

If the Danish team had been disqualified from the race they would have dropped from first to fourth overall and out of the medal position.

Conclusion:

DEN, as a boat assigned to compete in the medal race, was required by SI 19.7 to make a genuine effort to start, sail the course and finish. The OMC approved the replacement of the boat and found that it complied with class rules and all equipment inspections carried out in the Medal Race Quarantine Procedures. DEN complied with SI 21.2 and 21.3. The basis for the protest under MR 12.4 ceased to exist when the OMC approved the request. SI 2 (Additional Identification), SI 3 (Cameras) and MR 13 (Medal Race Quarantine Procedures) are subject to discretionary penalties (SI 18.7, MR 13.7). DEN did not gain a competitive advantage by failing to carry the camera (in the prevailing conditions), by failing to carry the correct identification, or by sailing a boat that had not been subjected to the Medal Race Quarantine Procedure at the required time. SI 2, 3 and 21, and MR 13 are not subject to protests by boats (SI 18.7 and MR 13.7).

Rule(s) applicable:
SI 19.7, MR 13, NoR 3, SI 2, 3, 18.7, 21.2 and 21.3.


Short Decision:
The protest by ESP under SI 21.2 and SI 21.3 is invalid. The protest by the RC is dismissed. No discretionary penalties imposed.

Jury:
John Doerr (chair), David Tillett, Marianne Middelthon, Takao Otani, Josje Hofland

If the Danes had been disqualified from the race MARTINEZ and FERNANDEZ would have been crowned Olympic Champions for the second time.

This means Denmark wins gold, 2004 Athens gold medallists Iker MARTINEZ and Xabier FERNANDEZ of Spain win silver and German brothers Jan-Peter PECKOLT and Hannes PECKOLT won bronze. Read more...