Lucky number eight

Jake Lilley has finished in eighth place at the 2021 Finn European Championships.

20 April 2021

At just over three months until the Tokyo Olympic Games, Rio Olympian and Australian Sailing Team member Jake Lilley has placed eighth in the 2021 Open Finn European Championships.

This year’s competition saw 49 sailors from 29 nations compete in 10 races over five days throughout Vilamoura on Portugal’s southern coast.

The fleet contained 13 out of the 17 sailors who have already been selected for the Tokyo Olympics alongside sailors competing for the final European place at the Finn Gold Cup, currently scheduled to begin in Portugal’s Porto next month.

Featured this year were defending European Champion and dual Olympian, Zsombor Berecz of Hungary, UK’s Rio Olympic Champion Giles Scott and Switzerland’s Nils Theuninck.

Berecz, Scott and Theuninck came first, second and third respectively.

Jack Lilley in the 2019 Finn Gold Cup. (Credit: Robert Deaves.)

The competition was Lilley’s first international regatta in the class for 15 months with much of fleet having not met since Melbourne’s 2019 Finn Gold Cup.

“It was tough,” said Lilley on the racing.

“A real welcome back to international competition and world class standard. Exactly what we came here for. I think some of the rust showed in the front half of the regatta but I managed to take those lessons and polish off a bit towards the back half of the event.”

Lilley began the week-long competition on the front foot, placing second in the first race of the series before “[battling] through the next four” he explains.

“It was back to mega long courses, a really big fleet and Vilamoura offered some large shifts and pressure differentials combining for a perfect combination of getting a bit deeper in the fleet.”

On Thursday, Lilley found his groove again for a sixth and third place to move into 10^th overall ahead of the final two races. With lighter winds on the final day, Lilley’s 12^thand 19^thplacing resulted in an eighth-place final finish.

“I think this week has presented beautiful and challenging racing conditions and it’s just been a privilege to race in a truly world class fleet with the very best sailors in the world,” said Lilley on the competition.

“It’s been really nice to reconnect after an extended period away. It was great action when we were all together for the Gold Cup in Melbourne and it’s been great to be here.”

2017 Finn European Championships. (Credit: Robert Deaves.)

In 2019, Lilley secured Australia the Olympic quota sport at the Finn Gold Cup.

He is currently yet to secure selection for the Tokyo Olympics.

“We are focussing on making the days count and not counting the days. One step at a time and we still have the world championships to prepare for and compete at,” he said.

“We are moving in the right direction for Tokyo, no doubt, but need to bring it all together.

Lilley would go on to add how, in the absence of pre-COVID fleet racing practice in Australia, international competition in the lead up to the Olympic Games is “an essential part of our preparations and we are thankful for the opportunity to be here”.

The Finn Gold Cup is scheduled to begin 5 May with the 10-race series running from 8–12 May.

“We will head up to Porto in a few days and get back to work. Refine a few things, analyse what worked well at the Euros and go about implementing some improvements for the worlds and valuable lessons for the Tokyo Games,” Lilley added.

With the Finn Class moving on to Porto, Vilamoura will now host the 2021 Open European 470 Championships from the end of this month.

The competition include Australian Sailing Team entries Mat Belcher, Will Ryan, Monique de Vries and Nia Jerwood.