- 40% of Olympic places for Tokyo 2020 up for grabs
- Grael, Hansen and Dominguez renew Volvo battle in 49erFX
Aarhus, city of sails and 1,400 dreams. The countdown is almost over and after four years of preparation the Hempel Sailing World Championships Aarhus 2018 will begin on Thursday in the Bay of Aarhus in a building wind beneath an unending sun.
With 1,400 sailors from 85 nations in close to 1,000 boats in 10 Olympic classes studded with stars old and new, the competition (August 2-12) promises to be ferocious, with epic head-to-heads in every fleet. More than 1,100 volunteers will make sure everything goes smoothly.
There is even more than medals at stake as these Sailing World Championships are the first and largest qualification regatta for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and Enoshima (sailing), with 40% of the places being decided. We could have our first Olympic qualifiers from the Finn, or 470s – the three classes to launch on Thursday – decided by Saturday. The individual sailors cannot qualify for the Olympics through the World Championships but the nations can claim their spot.
The World Sailing Championships are where the future meets the past. Illustrious names from the Olympics and beyond find the next generation vying for all their tomorrows. That has never been the case more than in Aarhus 2018.
The only Olympic champions from Rio missing are Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (New Zealand, 49er) and Giles Scott (Great Britain, Finn). Sime Fantela (Croatia, Men’s 470) has switched to the 49er. But the rest are here along with those who chased them onto the podium, the rising stars and those from their own countries seeking to seize the one national Olympic spot.
The plots and sub-plots will twist and turn with each race, starting with the Finn and 470s. In the Finn, the Rio 2016 bronze medallist, Caleb Paine (USA), is back on form after taking 2017 out. Jorge Zarif (BRA), who just missed out in Rio, is the form man.
Previous Worlds medallists, Edward Wright (GBR) and Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) will also be competing in Aarhus, but it will be hard not to keep an eye on Australia’s Tom Slingsby, the Laser gold medallist at the London 2012 Olympics. After not quite getting an Australian America’s Cup bid to fly, he has switched to the Finn after six years out of dinghy sailing. He is lighter on pounds and practice than he would like in this class of the giants, but he sprinkles the kind of stardust evident throughout the fleet.
There is more America’s Cup experience in the shape of New Zealand’s Josh Junior and Andy Maloney (both Finn), winners with Team NZ in Bermuda in 2017.
In the women’s 470, three Olympic medallists - Hannah Mills (GBR), who took gold in Rio 2016 after silver at London 2012 - Camille Lecointre (FRA) and Fernanda Oliveira (BRA), will all be sailing with new crews. Mills, who has a new partnership with Eilidh McIntyre, picked out the Japanese and Spanish crews as particular threats. Her words also echoed those of the other champions through the boat parks.
In the men’s 470, Mathew Belcher & William Ryan (AUS), Panagiotis Mantis & Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) and Luke Patience (GBR) are Olympic medallists and will be the ones to beat.
And that is just for starters. Coming up, in the 49erFX, the top four from Rio will continue their battles across the world. Four three of the helms – gold medallist, Martine Soffiati Grael, Jena Hansen and Tamara Echegoyen Dominguez – the contest takes on added dimension, having just been facing each other offshore in the 65ft Volvo Ocean Race boats.
Meanwhile, among a deep and powerful Nacra 17 fleet still mastering the foils, Nathan Outteridge, the Olympic gold medallist in London 2012, silver medallist in Rio 2016 and latterly and America’s Cup skipper with Artemis, will be in a new partnership with his sister Haylee. Meanwhile, Outteridge’s old partner, Iain “Goobs” Jensen will be back crewing in the men’s 49er.
And can anyone beat the formidable flying Dutchwoman, Marit Bouwmeester, in the Laser Radial?
The windsurfers will start on Sunday, and this fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships will also include kiteboarding, for men and women, for the first time.
They will all be cheered on by a deeply knowledgeable crowd on the pontoon, especially for the stadium sailing courses.
One proud Dane, is World Sailing’s president, Kim Andersen. “To host the Hempen Sailing World Championships in my home country and in Aarhus, a legendary sailing city, is a very special feeling,” Andersen said. “From the 29 August 1866, when Aarhus hosted English, Norwegian and Danish sailors in the first international competition on these waters, the city has become a renowned venue, regularly hosting youth and elite competition.
Class-by-class
LASER
The Laser and Laser Radial will have biggest fleets in Aarhus with 284 sailors from 71 nations competing in the Hempel Sailing World Championships.
Competition in these fleets is always tough with so many strong competitors and both fleets include current Olympic champions Tom Burton (AUS) and Marit Bouwmeester (NED).
Racing in the Laser and Laser Radial will commence on Friday 3 August and conclude on Friday 10 August with the deciding Medal Races that will be streamed live online.
Over 160 sailors will be battling in the men’s Laser fleet, which counts four Olympic medallists. All of the competitors have the aim of securing one of 14 Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games nations spots in the Laser. It will be intense and with such a large fleet, there is no room for errors.
An abundance of top ranked Laser sailors will be attending including Tom Burton, Philipp Buhl (GER), Sam Meech (NZL), Pavlos Kontides (CYP) and Nick Thompson (GBR).
All of them SSL finalists along with Tonci Stipanovic (CRO), Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) and Lorenzo Brando Chiavarini (GBR).
FINN
In the Finn class, there will be 90 sailors, representing 41 countries, competing in the Worlds. The fleet size is huge but the competition between the fleet is higher. There are eight spots available for sailors to qualify their nation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Caleb Paine (USA), Rio 2016 bronze medallist, will be attending. Paine took 2017 out but returned in 2018 and won silver in Round 2 of the 2018 World Cup Series in Miami. Previous Worlds medallists, Edward Wright (GBR) and Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) will also be competing in Aarhus.
Brazilian Finn sailor, Jorge Zarif has had an incredible 2018 and has dominated the fleet in recent competitions, winning gold in Round 3 of the 2018 World Cup series in Hyères and the World Cup Series Final in Marseille. The 25-year-old just missed out on a medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics but he is eager for a medal in Tokyo 2020 and this event is his big ticket.
Other SSL finalists in the heroic Finn class are Facundo Olezza (ARG), Oskari Muhonen (FIN), Jonathan Lobert (FRA), Fabian Pic (FRA), Zsombor Berecz (HUN), Josh Junior (NZL), Andy Maloney (NZL) and Max Salminen (SWE).
470 MEN
There will be 224 sailors, from 32 nations, competing in the 470 fleets, including eight Olympic medallists. Up for grabs, is 16 nation Tokyo 2020 Olympic games qualification spots - eight for men and eight for women.
In the Men’s 470, there will be 130 sailors – 65 teams, including six Olympic medallists, battling to qualify their nation for a spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Mathew Belcher & William Ryan (AUS), Panagiotis Mantis & Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) and Luke Patience (GBR) have won a medal at the Olympics, and they know what it takes.
However, like most fleets here in Aarhus, there are sailors who have made immense progression over recent months and have posed a threat to current champions in the Men’s 470.
In the 470 Men entry list you won’t find Sime Fantela, who is now in the 49er with his brother, but you can read Luke Patience at the helm with Chris Grube as crew.
NACRA 17
You can find two SSL finalista in the flying catamaran, Ben Saxton (GBR) and Johannes Polgar (GER). Eight are the spots available to qualify the nation, it won’t be an easy task.
Racing starts today and will go on until Sunday August the 12th, with the Medal Races beginning on August 9th.
SSL Press Officer since 2015