Pressure on NZ sailors
08/14/2010 01:17:48 AM
New Zealand has eight teams in the top 10 in their events at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta at Weymouth on Saturday.
The race is on for teams to finish on the podium with the best-placed being Sara Winther in the Laser Radial. She is in second place after a fifth and a second place in Friday's racing.
Andrew Murdoch and Mike Bullot qualified in the Laser with Murdoch fifth and Bullot seventh, the only real challenge being for third as the leaders are well in front.
In the Finn class Dan Slater has a chance for second place but will need a good finish from his sixth position at the moment. He won one race on Friday but was disqualified along with others for an early start. He took second place in the day's other race.
Tom Ashley failed to make the last 10 in the Men's RS:X but Jon-Paul Tobin is in sixth place.
In the women's 470 Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie will start the day in seventh the same place as Star sailors Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk.
While 49er duo Peter Burling and Blair Tuke won one race by more than a minute on Friday their form has arrived too late and they can't finish in the top three.