FOW Comes to a Close; Railey finishes Radial Medal Race in Second
There could not have been better conditions for the concluding day of French Olympic Week. The medal and final races played out in perfect Côte d’Azur conditions with a golden sun, clear skies and 15-knot westerlies.
Laser Radial athlete Paige Railey was the only sailor to represent the U.S. in a medal race today. Despite a rough finish yesterday knocking her off the podium, Railey closed the week on a strong note. Her second place score in the medal race will put her in eighth overall.
The U.S. Men’s Laser sailors competed in final series races separated by silver and gold fleets that excluded medal race participants. Buckingham, Barnard, Lamphere, and Didham will finish the regatta in 13th, 19th, 32nd, and 54th respectively.
Saturday, May 4 Results:
- Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) – 13th, 10 – 8 – 4 – 15 – 11 – 8 – 4 – 21 – 18 – 12 – 10 – 12
- Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.) – 19th, 1 – 19 – 17- 7 – 7 – 6 – 8 – 17 – 21 – 27 – 30 – 6
- Malcolm Lamphere (Lake Forest, Ill.) – 32nd, 4 – 21 – 18 – 20 – 14 – 25 – 34 – 35 – 33 – 30 – 32 – 10
- Paul Didham (San Diego, Calif.) – 54th, 8 – 24 – 28 – 30 – 23 – 19 – 21 – 27 – 21 – 26 – 20 – 12
- Paige Railey (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – 8th, UFD 51 – 1 – 3 – 7 – 11 – 2 – 7 – 31 – 7 – UFD 51 – 14 – 2
Updated: 5/4/19
Sailors Face 25 Knot Breezes in Hyeres Before Medal Day
After a week of all varieties of racing conditions in Hyeres, today’s 25-knot westerlies brought physically demanding conditions to the sailors.
Paige Railey will slide off the podium after receiving a U flag penalty in the Laser Radial fleet. Despite the added 51 points to her series score, Railey will still be appearing in tomorrow’s medal race.
The U.S. Men’s Laser sailors will not be advancing to tomorrow’s medal race. However, they’ll still be on the race course, competing in a final race separate from those in top ten positions.
Updated: 5/3/19
Railey Hangs onto the Podium, Lasers Split for Final Series
Paige Railey is still holding onto a podium spot in the Women’s Laser Radial fleet. Despite a tough finish in the second race today, Railey will start tomorrow, once again, in the third place position.
The Laser Men’s division began the final series today, splitting into silver and gold fleet. Chris Barnard, Charlie Buckingham, and Malcolm Lamphere all Qualified for gold fleet. Paul Didham will be representing the United States in the Silver fleet.
With racing concluding on Saturday, tomorrow will be the last day of the opening series. However, sailors that have not put themselves in the top ten by tomorrow afternoon will still be seen on the water on Saturday. The final series for those individuals will wrap on Saturday afternoon along with the medal races and closing ceremonies.
Updated: 5/2/19
Camaraderie Among Competitors at French Olympic Week
In the first race of the day, U.S. Laser Radial athlete, Paige Railey, who has been training with Maria Erdi (HUN), since the two arrived in Hyères could be heard shouting at Erdi to hike – demonstrating the camaraderie that often exists through these Olympic fleets.”It was cool because we’ve been training together, so the two coaches were watching us go down and all the stuff we been working on in training you could see us putting into action, which was really cool,” Railey said. “Yeah, I lost the race but to see all the stuff we’ve been doing together and accelerating away from the fleet was really cool.”After two solid races, Railey remains in the top three heading into tomorrow.
After yesterday’s dying breeze, Men’s fleet made up for lost time on the water and completed all three scheduled races. After a consistent performance, Chris Barnard scored two sevens and a six, moving him to the top of the American leaderboard and 14th overall.
Updated: 5/1/2019
Railey Jumps Twenty Places on Day Two of French Olympic Week
Today’s forecasted breeze filled in overnight and the sailors were greeted with easterlies of up to 12 knots as the morning wore into lunchtime.
In the Laser Radial fleet, Paige Railey sailed two consistent races resulting in top ten finishes. By dropping yesterday’s UFD, she jumped twenty places place and will start tomorrow in third place overall.
The Laser fleet was the last to finish and they were the only ones affected by the wind dropping in the latter half of the day. The dying conditions resulted in both fleets abandoning their second races. This promises a full schedule for tomorrow, as they will try to fit in three races to catch up before splitting into gold and silver fleets. In the only Laser race of the day, Charlie Buckingham finished in fourth, moving him into the top ten.
Updated: 4/30/2019
Day One of French Olympic Week Delivers Tricky Conditions
The first day of the 51st Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères saw the kind of conditions that the French Riviera specializes in: endless sun, testing breeze and diamonds dancing on the water. With the wind shifting from the northerly in the morning to almost southerly by the afternoon the best was required of the 197 sailors representing 49 nations.
Both the Men’s Laser and the Women’s Laser Radial fleets completed two races. Today’s challenging conditions are reflected in the relatively inconsistent scores across both fleets. In the Men’s Laser fleet, U.S. athletes, Chis Barnard and Charlie Buckingham, both stand just outside the top ten and of the U.S. athletes finished at least one race in the top ten.
On the Laser Radial course, Paige Railey began her day with a U-flag penalty. However, she found redemption in the second race by finishing in first.
Racing will resume tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. local time for the Men and 2:30 p.m. for the Women.
Updated: 4/29/2019
Preview: U.S. Laser Sailors Head to Hyeres
From April 27 to May 4, Hyères, the historic jewel of the French Riviera will once again vibrate with sails on the water and the rhythms of concerts on land for the Semaine Olympique Française (French Olympic Sailing Week). Olympic champions and 2020 contenders will be vying for their place in the sun in the 51st edition of the competition.
With several of the class European Championships around the corner, U.S. athletes will only be competing in the Men’s Laser and the Women’s Laser Radial. Three of these individuals will be returning to competition after displaying impressive performances earlier this month. At the 50th Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Iberostar regatta, Paige Railey (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished 6th in the Laser Radial while Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.) finished in 5th and 1st, respectively.
For many athletes pursuing an Olympic campaign, this regatta is an important training opportunity on the track to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Visit this page throughout the week for daily updates on the U.S. athletes. For more information on how to follow the event, read the information below.
U.S. Athletes Competing at French Olympic Week:
Laser
- Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.)
- Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.)
- Malcolm Lamphere (Lake Forest, Ill.)
- Paul Didham (San Diego, Calif.)
Laser Radial
- Paige Railey (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Entries / Results / Schedule
Click here to view the entry lists. Men’s Laser & Women’s Laser Radial
Results will be available after racing on Monday, April 29.
To view the tentative schedule click here.
Social Media
For daily updates and photography, follow the US Sailing Team on social media. Get involved in the conversation using @USSailingTeam and #SOF2019
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Photography
Click here to view event photography.
Press Releases
All World Sailing international press releases throughout the duration of the Hempel World Cup Series, including the latest news and reports, are available to read here.
Visit this page for daily updates specific to U.S. athletes.
US Sailing Team Press Contact:
Brittney Manning; OlympicCommunications@ussailing.org
About the US Sailing Team
The US Sailing Team is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. US Sailing names the top Olympic class athletes to the team annually, through both event qualification and at the discretion of team leadership. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing, and communications support. US Sailing Team sponsors include partners Kilroy Realty, Helly Hansen, Harken, McLube, Groupe Beneteau, and Marlow Ropes. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics.