World’s Top Women Match Racers Fight For Final Honours

Written By Myrrh Walker (As Amended By ISAF on the ISAF website www.sailing.org).

The 2007 ISAF Grade 2 JPMorgan Asset Management Women’s Winter Challenge Final will host one of the most competitive line ups the series has seen yet with five teams in the top ten of the Women’s ISAF World Match Race Rankings competing this weekend.

Ten teams from seven countries will gather at Queen Mary Sailing Club, Staines over a three-day weekend, from 23-25 February, to fight for the top prize and for a berth in the open ISAF Grade 2 JPMorgan Asset Management Grand Final on 9-11 March.

World #1 Claire LEROY (FRA) has already earned her spot in the Grand Final after out sailing the male teams in qualifier 5 of the Winter Challenge series.

World #2 Lotte MELDGAARD PEDERSEN (DEN), will make the trip from Denmark, as will fellow national Camilla ULRIKKEHOLM (DEN), both ready to compete on the Queen Mary Reservoir and to test their skills against the predominantly European line up. World #3 Klaartje ZUIDERBAAN (NED) will also compete.

After losing out to LEROY at the JPMorgan Women’s Final in 2006, Jenny AXHEDE (SWE), Sweden’s Female National Champion, will be hoping to go one better in 2007 and beat out her opponents for a berth in the Grand Final.

Finland’s Silja LEHTINEN will swap her Olympic Class Yngling for one of the RYA’s J/80s at the weekend event while Great Britain’s Josie GIBSON from London, world #8 and Great Britain’s top female mach racer will also join the line up.

Recent Olympic campaigner turned match racer, Gemma FARRELL (GBR) from Aylesbury, who has been steadily climbing the Women’s Rankings, jumping 17 places in the last six months, will also field a team.

Southampton’s Katie ARCHER, Great Britain’s current Women’s National Champion has attended several winter challenge events and will hope that her local knowledge will give her an advantage over the other competitors.

Ireland’s Mary O’LOUGHLIN will bring the tenth team to the event with hopes of a positive finish at the Women’s Final.

Event website