Swiss kitesurfer Elena Lengwiler defies the weak winds on the coast of Marseille and takes the lead in the 5th of 16 heats.
05.08.2024, 19:44
05.08.2024, 20:42
SDA
Only one race for the kitesurfers and the ILCA 6, none at all for the 470 Mixed: the sailing area off Marseille once again showed its challenging side on Monday. Elena Lengwiler was not to be deterred and took the lead.
After her brilliant start, Lengwiler continued where she had left off on Sunday: with a race win. The conditions with light winds and flat water suited the 28-year-old: "The conditions were fantastic," said a delighted Lengwiler.
Because the wind died as the race progressed, the race organizers, who had been particularly challenged on Monday, were unable to start any more races. Lengwiler was nevertheless beaming: with her second race win, she took the lead in the overall classification. The fact that she had to undergo a doping test after the long wait probably didn't bother her.
Maud Jayet did not have a lucky day. She got off to a bad start in the first run of the day and had to record her strike result with 23rd place. In the second, she was in the lead for a long time before the wind died again and the race committee abandoned the race. The starting position ahead of the top 10 medal race on Tuesday is complicated: Jayet is in 4th intermediate place. Although she is only five points behind the bronze medal, the next competitor is already lurking just three points behind her.
"My goal has to be to win the medal race - and then see what the other sailors do," said Jayet combatively. Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester has already secured the gold medal. The 36-year-old mother of a two-year-old daughter has thus become the most successful female Olympic sailor of all time.
There was no race at all for the 470 mixed class. Yves Mermod and Maja Siegenthaler remain in 10th place ahead of the final qualification day, which qualifies them for the medal race.
