The Medal Race format in Olympic sailing is designed to create drama and uncertainty, especially when the wind is blowing hard – which it did on the final day of Delta Lloyd Regatta 2015.
The very last Medal Race of the day proved to be the most dramatic, with two Danes and a Kiwi team locked in a three-way fight for the Nacra 17 medals. While the Swiss led the race from start to finish, the medal battle was taking place at the back of the fleet. Denmark’s Lin Ea Cenholt and Christian Peter Lubeck did just enough to clinch gold.
Just a few metres behind, the other Danish boat of Allan Norregaard and Anette Viborg was about to cross the finish line when they pitchpoled and capsized. Fortunately for them, the Danes crossed the line upside down to cling on to silver, the Kiwis settling for bronze.
It has been a tough, windy week for the 707 teams from 74 nations. The IJselmeer – with its shifty, gusty breeze and short, sharp, unsympathetic chop – always asks the hardest questions of these accomplished sailors. Which is why they keep on coming back, year after year, for more high-quality competition. Next year’s event takes place 24-28 May 2016.
