Sailors on course for gold

470s: Vadlau/Mähr still in the lead

Lukas Mähr/Lara Vadlau

(Bild: OeSV/Dominik Matesa)

Sailors Lara Vadlau/Lukas Mähr are on course to win a medal at the Olympic Games, maybe even gold!

The duo defended their top position in the two races held off Marseille on Tuesday and even extended their lead from five to seven points with a fifth and a second place. If Vadlau/Mähr finish no worse than fourth in the Medal Race scheduled for Wednesday at 3.43 pm, they are guaranteed Olympic victory.

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(Bild: AFP)

"It's going to get really tough again tomorrow!"
"It was extremely tough today, maybe even a bit tougher than the days before because the wind was just so light. Anything could have happened on a day like this. But we managed it well and solidly," said Vadlau. "Everyone has to give their best performance tomorrow. I ignore all the calculation games: You make one wrong turn and there are already ten boats ahead of you. The lead is nice, but tomorrow will be a real battle." The nerves would be on edge for many.

After all scheduled races in the 470 category had been canceled the day before due to wind, there were also certain problems in this regard on Tuesday. First of all, it was necessary to wait until lunchtime due to light winds before the races could start. However, the third and final race of the day before the medal decision could no longer be held.

Double points awarded in the medal race
Vadlau/Mähr are on 24 points - minus one scratch result - while the Spaniards Jordi Xammar/Nora Brugman are their first pursuers on 31 points. They are followed by Japan's Keiju Okada/Miho Yoshioka with 35 points. The Swedish duo in fourth place have 39 points. Even taking into account the double points awarded in the medal race, things are looking good for the ÖOC team.

"Our big goal today was to stay clear. We are as fast as an arrow at the moment and when we were a bit behind, we tried to pick up boat after boat - and that worked out well for us. The top four are super fast, can win a medal, can be right at the front," warned foreskipper Mähr against too much certainty of victory. "Now let's enjoy the moment. Of course we'll see where we want to position ourselves tomorrow - but above all we're looking ahead and are very positive."

Valentin Bontus

(Bild: AFP)

Bontus slipped back after protest from Italy
Valentin Bontus slipped back to fourth place (20 points) in the Formula Kite after a successful protest from Italy. After the disqualification in the sixth race and 20th place in the seventh race, his reserve of strike results has been used up. Austria's federation was still discussing a possible appeal late in the evening.

Italy's Riccardo Pianosi (20th) currently holds bronze, with Toni Vodisek from Slovenia (12th) and Maximilian Maeder from Singapore (15th) further ahead. Five more races are scheduled for Thursday. Kitesurfer Alina Kornelli came in fifth once (overall), the Nacra 17 with Lukas Haberl/Tanja Frank came in 9th, 10th and 16th, resulting in 15th place overall. The medal race of the top ten on Wednesday was therefore missed.

To date, there has only been one medal for the red-white-red squad at the Paris Games, and that was last Wednesday by judoka Michaela Polleres (bronze).