– both on 2 – 0 score before Saturday’s last semi matches
With five wins out of five possible, the Swedish World Champion Anna Kjellberg secured her slot in the Lysekil Women’s Match semi finals. Then she chose Danish Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen as her opponent, and during Friday afternoon she also gained a reassuring lead with 2 – 0 in the first to three wins semi-final.
The same score appears in the second semi-final, in which Danish World #1 Camilla Ulrikkeholm is leading local hope Caroline Sylvan.
Six crews sailed off Friday morning in a separate round robin to determine the four semi-finalists, and after that it was clear that Anne-Claire Le Berre of France and American Stephanie Roble had to leave the competition. With two Swedish and as many Danish crews left in the semis, the remainder of Lysekil Women’s Match 2014 is an all-Scandinavian battle:
“Actually not very surprising. The Scandinavians have an advantage in knowing the boats and the local conditions better,” Le Berre comments, expecting the final to be sailed with Ulrikkeholm and Kjellberg on the starting line.
As the standings are right now, it seems like the French skipper will be right. After two matches in each of the semi-finals, Kjellberg and Ulrikkeholm has managed to get a 2 – 0 score against their respective opponents, Meldgaard Pedersen and Sylvan:
“We’ve certainly found the right flow now, but in this competition it’s just not possible to relax, not even for a second. Though it’s a lot easier to get wins now than in the beginning of the week, when we had to fight a lot more for every point” Kjellberg analyses, and continues:
“Tomorrow we’ll get paid for the work we’ve put in during the week, and we’ll also try to enjoy the racing a bit more.”
Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen is two matches down, but hasn’t given up her hope for the final:
“No, we’ve been very tight on the Swedes, so I wouldn’t count us out yet. There are still three matches to go,” she says, supported by Caroline Sylvan:
“Camilla is sailing so smoothly, but tomorrow we’ll get more wind, and we like that.”
Reigning and triple Lysekil Champion Camilla Ulrikkeholm is especially happy for the space she gets to manoeuvre almost exactly as she likes in the start sequences:
“When there isn’t more wind than today, it’s very important to get away well ahead at the start, and I really think we’ve managed to do that. Then out there on the course it’s been challenging, with current and many wind shifts to handle,” she concludes.
Standings in the Lysekil Women’s Match semi-finals. First to three wins advance to the final, to be sailed Saturday afternoon:
Anna Kjellberg, SWE – Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN 2 – 0
Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN – Caroline Sylvan, SWE 2 – 0
Results in the quarterfinal round robin of Lysekil Women’s Match, the third stage of the 2014 WIM Series. The first four skippers advanced to the semi finals (skipper name/nationality/wins – losses):
1. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 5 – 0
2. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 3 – 2
3. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 2 – 3
4. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN, 2 – 3
5. Stephanie Roble, USA, 2 – 3
6. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 1 – 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2014 Women’s International Match Racing Series is a professional sailing circuit, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association for the world’s leading women match racing sailors. In match racing the crews meet two by two in exciting duels that can easily be followed and understood by the spectators.
An overall prize purse of 50 000 USD will be distributed by the WIM Series at the final event in Busan, Korea, in addition to the prize money at each of the five events included in the WIM Series (date, event name, location, boat type, prize money):
* June 3-8, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Cork, Ireland, J/80, 17 000 USD.
* July 24-27, Women’s Match Race Golfe du Morbihan, Vannes, France, Beneteau 7.5, 14 000 USD.
* August 4-9, Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden, DS 37, 50 000 USD.
* September 23-28, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA, Elliott 6, 10 000 USD.
* October 11-16, Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, Busan, Korea, K 30, 100 000 USD.
The WIM Series is hosted by WIMRA. Sebago is clothing partner. Official suppliers are Sailnet, 1080 Media, MILK, Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan, Adstream and Match Racing Results Service.
Images: A number of hi-res images are available for download on www.wimseries.com/media/
More information about the Women’s International Match Racing Series:
WIM Series Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, media@wimseries.com, +46 70 604 25 04
WIM Series Manager Liz Baylis, Liz@wimseries.com, +1 415 691 6202
www.wimseries.com
www.facebook.com/WIMSeries
www.twitter.com/WIMSeries
www.youtube.com/WIMRSeries
www.instagram.com/WIMSeries
The main sponsor of Lysekil Women’s Match is Preem with the Lysekil Municipality as the host city. Sebago, Carpe Diem Beds of Sweden, Svitzer and Atlantica are partners. Hyundai is the official car.
A selection of high resolution images from Lysekil Women’s Match is available to download at:
www.dropbox.com/sh/hc1f51ohq00gylq/AADHgEo8ZQLuxOvEeucM_tpka
More information about the Lysekil Women’s Match:
Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, media@sailnet.se, +46 70 604 25 04
Project Manager Anna Holmdahl White, anna@sailnet.se, +46 73 068 42 92
www.lysekilwomensmatch.se
www.facebook.com/lysekilwomensmatch
www.twitter.com/lwmlysekil
www.youtube.com/lysekilwomensmatch11
www.instagram.com/lwmlysekil
