The round-robin stage of the 2015 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, the first event on the 2015 WIM Series, concluded Friday evening. French Anne-Claire Le Berre mastered the continuing heavy conditions impressively, finishing the stage on 13 wins and just two losses:
“We raced some difficult matches at the end, when we met the highest ranked sailors, but also the few matches we lost were very close. My team did a very good job throughout the round-robin, and we’re really looking forward to the continuation of the regatta” Le Berre comments.
Westerly winds around 25 knots put the competitors to the test when they went out on the water again Friday morning, after the long Thursday postponement. Once again the cheering crowds, following the thrilling racing from the Middelfart harbour pier, could see the world’s foremost match racing women perform their breath-taking manoeuvres. Exciting tacking duels, fast spinnaker sailing, really tight mark roundings and a few broaches and Chinese gybes entertained the spectators ashore.
Anne-Claire Le Berre did indeed win the round-robin stage, but lost her match against Friday’s unquestionable queen Stephanie Roble of the USA. Roble had a clean sweep, winning seven straight matches for second place in the round-robin on a 12 – 3 score:
“It was an awesome day of racing, so fun. We had a lot of races and everything fell into place. My team was just awesome” the US Yachtswoman of the Year shines.
Former World #1 and 2014 World Championship silver medallist, home sailor Camilla Ulrikkeholm, wasn’t as satisfied with her round-robin performance, finishing 7th on a 9 – 6 record:
“We just never found the right speed and didn’t feel very well in the boat. After many broaches and Chinese gybes we got a bit shaky” she admits, nevertheless looking forward to the weekend, when the meteorologists have promised lighter wind conditions.
“We can really use a change, and hopefully lighter weather will help” she hopes.
Compatriot Lotte Meldgaard defended the Danish colours better, finishing 12 – 3 on third place in the round-robin, despite a nasty accident in which her crew Josephine Nissen got hit by the main sheet in a gybe, hurt her back and had to go to hospital. A replacement crew took her place for the remaining races of the day, but the good news is that Nissen will be back in the boat for Saturday:
“All in all it was a good day, with some nice races when the wind dropped a little at the end. For the weekend we’d like to have really light winds” Meldgaard wishes.
The racing in Middelfart continues Saturday with the exciting quarterfinal knockouts, while Sunday will see the semis and the final to crown the World Champions.
Standings after the round-robin stage of the 2015 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship in Middelfart, Denmark, the first event on the 2015 WIM Series (skipper, country, wins – losses). The first eight advance to the quarterfinal knockouts:
1. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 13 – 2
2. Stephanie Roble, USA, 12 – 3
3. Lotte Meldgaard, DEN, 12 – 3
4. Katie Spithill, AUS, 12 – 3
5. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 11 – 4
6. Anna Östling, SWE, 11 – 4
7. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 9 – 6
8. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 7 – 8
9. Milly Bennett, AUS, 6 – 9
10. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 6 – 9
11. Louise Christensen, DEN, 5 – 10
12. Diana Kissane, IRL, 4– 11
13. Rikst Dijkstra, NED, 4 – 11
14. Johanna Larsson, SWE, 4 – 11
15. Nina Ramm-Schmidt, FIN, 2 – 13
16. Sanna Häger, SWE, 2 – 13
2015 WIM Series events (date, event name, venue):
* July 8 – 12, ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship, Middelfart, Denmark.
* August 3 – 8, Lysekil Women’s Match, Lysekil, Sweden.
* September 16 – 20, Buddy Melges Challenge, Sheboygan, USA.
* October 28 – November 1, Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race, Busan, Korea.
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Links:
Results
www.wimseries.com/results/2015-isaf-womens-match-racing-world-championship-results/
Event Website
www.worlds15.dk/
History
www.sailing.org/events/womensmatchworlds/18952.php
Past Results
www.sailing.org/events/womensmatchworlds/past_results.php
WIM Series Website
www.wimseries.com
July 8 - 12, 2015, the 2015 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship is taking place in Middelfart, Denmark, hosted by Match Racing Denmark on behalf of the sailing clubs in Middelfart, Vejle, Fredericia, Horsens and Kolding. The championship is launched in cooperation with the Danish Sailing Association, ISAF (the International Sailing Federation), WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) and not least Middelfart Municipality, Developing Fyn, Sport Event Denmark, The Triangle Region and Destination Little Belt.
The ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship is an annual event that was first held in Genoa, Italy in 1999 after a successful event was held as part of the 1998 ISAF Sailing World Championship in Dubai, UAE. Skippers are invited to attend the Championship based on their ISAF World Match Racing Ranking position. Denmark’s Dorte Jensen is the most successful sailor having amassed four World Championship titles.
Find out more on the history of the event here
www.sailing.org/events/womensmatchworlds/18952.php
Images/Video
High-resolution rights free images for editorial and personal purposes are available to download here:
sailingpix.photoshelter.com/gallery-collection/ISAF-Womens-Match-Racing-World-Championship-2015/C0000ezZvK4233vQ
Password: Press
Please contact Event Press Officer Ole Wejse Svarrer below for picture/video requests.
About WIM Series
The 2015 WIM Series is hosted by WIMRA for the world’s leading women match racing sailors, and contested in four venues: Middelfart, Denmark; Lysekil, Sweden; Sheboygan, USA and Busan, Korea. An overall prize purse of 40 000 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 four events included in the WIM Series. 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
Contact
Event Press Officer
Ole Wejse Svarrer
Tel: +45 2071 6465
Email: wejse@skriiv.dk
ISAF Communications Department
Tel: + 44 2380 635 111
Email: marketing@isaf.com
WIM Series Press Officer
Joakim Hermansson
Tel: + 46 70 604 25 04
Email: media@wimseries.com
