Pathway to Paris

The Olympic Champion commented, “It’s doubly frustrating, as yesterday we didn’t get a third race in for whatever reason, so that meant I couldn’t exercise gains with my drop. Then today it’s perfect conditions and we’re not out racing, but that’s the decision we’ve got to deal with.”

Wearn continued, “From here on we’re based in Marseille. I’ve got a few coaches regattas to do along the way, which will be good. Just ticking those final boxes before we get into the Games.”

Australia had three sailors in the ILCA7’s top 10 with the strong performances of Wearn’s teammates Ethan McAullay and Finn Alexander.

Wearn is proud of the legacy they have as an Australian squad, he commented, “It’s great to have three Aussies back in their medal race. It’s a good sign of things to come.”

The resilience of the Australian ILCA6 women was highlighted this week along with their talent and unity.

Squad coach Carolijn Brouwer echoed Wearn’s frustration, “I’m really gutted that we didn’t sail today, especially in the ILCA class, I think we could have pushed a bit harder it would have been a cool medal race to watch, and Mara (Stransky) and Casey (Imeneo) were really pumped up to get out there and battle the elements.”

The focus is now all on the Games for the squad and Brouwer emphasised their commitment to supporting Olympic-bound Zoe Thomson, “We head back to Marseille, where the hard work continues. We’ve got the squad keen to come and support Zoe, we’ll be spending a lot of time there.”

Townsville athlete, Breiana Whitehead’s impressive fifth-place finish, coupled with her third-nation ranking, positions her as a formidable contender for the upcoming Olympic Games.  Whitehead will stay in Hyeres, France where the Formula Kite World Championships will be held 14 to 19 May.

Meanwhile, the skiff classes battled the challenging conditions, with the FX sailing predominately in the moderate unstable breeze in the morning, whilst the 49er men faced strong and shifty afternoon winds. All Australians put some solid results on the board as they progress towards Paris 2024 and beyond.

470 sailors Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas battled it out at the top of the standings all week until they were punished with big points on the last day, collecting a black flag for being over the line early and finishing the regatta in 10th. The pair will head down the road to Cannes, France for the 470 European Championships to be held from 7 May.

This event also served as the last chance for nations to qualify for Olympic quotas, Australia was racing for a spot in the men’s Formula Kite discipline, however with only five spots remaining it was too much of a reach this time around for the Australians fighting for a place at the Games.

Australian Sailing High Performance Director Iain Brambell, emphasised the invaluable experience gained at this weeks event, “The split between the Qualified Nations and the Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres was an excellent opportunity for our Aussie sailors to experience highly competitive yet reduced fleets, enabling our sailors to test out Games specific strategies and tactics.”

He continued, “Accessing these fleets was a critical advantage to both our Paris 2024 selected sailors as well as those with their sights firmly set on podium success in LA 2028.”

Brambell affirmed the team’s readiness for the challenges ahead, “Hyeres provided a mixed bag of conditions that the team showed immense tenacity in and truly affirmed that the Australian Sailing Team will be coming to Marseille firing on all cylinders for the Paris 2024 Games.”

Whilst many sailors are heading to the Olympic waters for training, there is still plenty of racing to come in May for the athletes to fine tune their skills ahead of the Olympic regatta which will take place 28 July to 10 August in Marseille.

Full results can be found here.

australiansailingteam.com.au