Dutch Mandy Mulder reaches the top in Lysekil
– and Swedish hope Marie Björling Duell has dropped to fifth place

With ten victories and just three lost matches, Mandy Mulder advances to the top of Lysekil Women’s Match. Danish titleholder Camilla Ulrikkeholm accordingly falls down to second place so far, with her 9 – 2 record. The results are however limping a little, since the crews haven’t raced the same number of matches.
– The shifty winds today were tactically challenging, but we solved the problems successfully to take four straight victories, says Mulder, who lost only the first match of the day against Marie Björling Duell.

The Swede also defeated fellow club member Anna Kjellgren from the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club, but then lost her matches against Sally Barkow, USA, and Swiss Alexa Bezel. After today’s 2 –2 record Björling Duell has won seven and lost five matches in the event, the same result as the American. Thanks to her victory in their last match against each other, Barkow now holds the fourth place, with Björling Duell on fifth so far.
– We didn’t give Barkow way when we should have done, so we were penalized. Then the match was over, says Marie, who seems to be determined to win some more matches.
– Absolutely! We are getting better and better, and now we are gearing up again. When it comes to knockouts in the semi-finals, the mental game gets different and our routine will pay off, the 45 years old and six times WC-medallist concludes.
– We’re starting to get things together in the new crew, making up for a not so good start of the event, Barkow comments.

Just 21 years old Alexa Bezel is sailing her first Grade 1-event, and doesn’t have the same routine, but with a lot of enthusiasm and joy onboard she has so far advanced to third place in Lysekil Women’s Match.
– We had no expectations at all when we came here, just wanted to have fun and gain experience for the future. Now we’re going as far as we get, she laughs.

Event standings in Lysekil Women’s Match. Place/name/nationality/victories/lost matches:
1. Mandy Mulder, NED, 10 – 3
2. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 9 – 2
3. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 8 – 5
4. Sally Barkow, USA, 7 – 5
5. Marie Björling Duell, SWE, 7 – 5
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 4 – 7
7. Silvia Roca Mata, ESP, 4 – 8
7. Petra Kliba, CRO, 3 – 9
9. Anna Kjellgren, SWE, 2 – 10

Lysekil Women’s Match continues Friday with round-robin, and then the best four advances to the semi-finals in the afternoon.

Lysekil Women’s Match is with a 300 000 SEK (45 000 USD) prize purse the largest yearly event for women match racing sailors, concerning the mix of spectators, publicity and prize money. In match racing the crews meet two by two in exciting duels that can easily be followed and understood by the spectators.
Ten of the world’s leading women match racing sailors participates in the seventh issue of Lysekil Women’s Match, August 6-11 2012, arranged by Sailnet Lysekil AB in cooperation with Lysekils SS Gullmar.

Main sponsor for Lysekil Women’s Match is Preem. Midroc, Phonera, Musto, Svitzer and Liros are partners, and the municipality of Lysekil host city.

For more information including news and photos:
www.lysekilwomensmatch.se
www.facebook.com/lysekilwomensmatch