Olympic Sailing Star Class Preview
Of the nine person New Zealand sailing team the Star class are the only ones yet to start racing. Our men, Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams start competition tomorrow, Friday 15th and all going to schedule, the medals will be decided the following Thursday, the 21st.
Ask anyone about the hot contenders battling it out for an Olympic medal in the Star here in China, and the list is long. Around half of the 16 boat fleet look incredibly strong on paper with previous Olympic and World Championship medals galore – perhaps none more so than Brazil’s Robert Scheidt.
Pepper and Williams remain relative rookies in the class having combined forces in 2006 when they went on to take out the Star World Championships impressing the Star fraternity. Since then they collected silver at the 2007 Olympic Test Event sailed here in Qingdao last August.
Here’s what Williams has to say ahead of his first ever Olympic Games…
“It wont be whether or not you are fast enough as l think, in preparation, just about everybody will, but whether you can transfer that performance onto the race course and then once achieving that, how long you can maintain that performance through the pressure, long days and tactics.”
“No more time for development - that work is done now its about executing it which l believe we are truly ready for!”
Despite their significant achievements they’re up against some very stiff competition, notwithstanding the fickle nuances of the venue itself. Here’s a look at their credentials and those of their main rivals…
New Zealand’s representatives…
Hamish Pepper & Carl Williams, NZL
HAMISH
Yacht Club: Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Age: 37 years
Weight: 82kg
Height: 1.76m
ISAF Ranking:
CARL
Yacht Club: Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Age: 27 years
Weight: 110kg
Height: 1.95m
ISAF Ranking:
FACTS
* 2006 World Champions
* New to Star in 2006
* Silver medal at 2007 Olympic Test Event
Some top contenders…
Robert Scheidt & Bruno Prada, BRA
ROBERT
Yacht Club: Yacht club Santo Amaro, SP, Brazil
Age: 35 years
Weight: 78kg
Height: 1.88m
ISAF Ranking: 6
FACTS
* Star World Champion in 2007, bronze at ’08 Star Worlds
* Winner of 2007 Olympic Test Event
* Huge Laser career including…
* Olympic Gold in Atlanta ’96, silver in Sydney ’00 and gold in Athens ‘04
* Seven time world champ in the Laser (plus more medals)
BRUNO
Yacht Club: Yacht Club Paulista, Iate Clube Ilhabela
Age: 37 years
Weight: 100kg
Height: 1.85m
ISAF Ranking: 6
FACTS
* Former Finn sailor prior to joining Scheidt in the Star in 2006
Xavier Rohart & Pascal Rambeau, FRA
XAVIER
Yacht Club: La PELLE Marseille
Age: 40 years
Weight: 100kg
Height: 1.88m
ISAF Ranking: 8
FACTS
* Moved from Finn to Star in 2002
* China will be Rohart’s 3rd Olympics – bronze in Star in ’04, 5th in Finn in ‘00
* 5 Star World Champ medals including two World titles in ’03 & ‘05
* 3rd at the 2007 Olympic Test Event
PASCAL
Yacht Club: Rochelaises, La Rochelle, Poitou-Charentes, France
Age: 36 years
Weight: 100kg
Height: 1.94m
ISAF Ranking: 8
Iain Percy & Andrew Simpson, GBR
IAIN
Yacht Club: Weston Sailing Club
Age: 32 years
Weight: 92kg
Height: 1.85m
ISAF Ranking: 12
FACTS
* Laser (’96) to Finn (’97 – ’00) to Star (’07 to now)
* Olympic Gold in the Finn in Sydney 2000 (6th in the Star in Athens ’04)
* Star World Champion in ’02, plus bronze at World Champs in ’03, ’04, ’05 & ‘06
* 6th at the 2007 Olympic Test Event
ANDREW
Yacht Club:
Age: 31 years
Weight: 104kg
Height: 1.85m
ISAF Ranking: 12
FACTS
* Former Finn sailor including a bronze medal at ’03 World Champs
Mateusz Kusznierewicz & Domink Zycki, POL
MATEUSZ
Yacht Club: Yacht Klub Polski Warszawa
Age: 33 years
Weight: 100kg
Height: 1.93m
ISAF Ranking: 1
FACTS
* Finn (’96 – ’04) to Star (’06 – now)
* Reigning 2008 Star World Champion
* This will be his 4th Olympic Gamesw
* Olympic Gold in Finn in Atlanta ’96, 4th in Finn in Sydney ’00, Bronze in * Finn in Athens ‘04
* 5th place at the 2007 Olympic Test Event
DOMINIK
Yacht Club: unknown
Age: 34 years
Weight: unknown
Height: unknown
ISAF Ranking: 1
Flavio Marazzi & Enrico de Maria, SUI
FLAVIO
Yacht Club: Thunersee Yacht Club & Gstaad Yacht Club
Age: 30 years
Weight: 100kg
Height: 1.91m
ISAF Ranking: 2
FACTS
* In the Star ’99-now
* This will be Marazzi’s 3rd Olympics – 15th in Sydney ’00, 4th in Athens ‘04
* 4th at the 2007 Olympic Test Event
ENRICO
Yacht Club: Yachtclub Rapperswil, Switzerland
Age: 31 years
Weight: 99kg
Height: 1.9m
ISAF Ranking: 2
Fredrik Loof & Anders Ekstrom, SWE
FREDRIK
Yacht Club: unknown
Age: 38 years
Weight: 97kg
Height: 1.9m
ISAF Ranking: 3
FACTS
* Finn class ’92-’00 to the Star class ’01-now
* This will be Loof’s 3rd Olympics
* 5th in Finn Atlanta ’96, Bronze in Finn in Sydney ’00, 12th in Star in Athens ‘04
* Star World Champion in ‘04
* Two-time Finn Gold Cup winner in ’97 & ’99, plus further medals
* 8th at the Olympic 2007 Test Event
ANDERS
Yacht Club: unknown
Age: 27 years
Weight: 97kg
Height: 1.9m
ISAF Ranking: 3
Schedule for the Star Class
Friday 15th – 2 races (Course A)
Saturday 16th – 2 races (Course E)
Sunday 17th – 2 races (Course E)
Monday 18th – Reserve Day
Tuesday 19th – 2 races (Course E)
Wednesday 20th – 2 races (Course E)
Thursday 21st – Medal Race (Course A)