Rio 2016 (Sailing): Team USA Battles The Conditions

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WATCH: The Rio Report / N.3 – Battling the Conditions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 9, 2016

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Rio 2016 Olympic sailing athletes got their first taste of light air conditions on Day 2 of racing on Guanabara Bay, with the early races in each of the five currently-active classes being defined by a treacherous tactical environment. All racing on Day 2 took place inside Guanabara Bay.

Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.). struggled early on, but executed a dramatic comeback in the opening race of the men’s heavyweight Finn class. “It was exciting racing. [The breeze] was coming in from both the left and right, and it would die and then build,” said the 2012 Sailing World Cup series champion. “The first race I rounded fairly decently around the weather mark, right in the middle [of the fleet], but then unfortunately there was a wind shift and I got passed by quite a few boats. I hung in there and was able to catch up on the final beat, going from the bottom five to 7th.” After two races on Tuesday, Paine stands in 8th overall.

Paine’s resilience paid off, and he credited his overall mental approach. “It’s just tenacity,” said Paine. “Being able to realize that the race isn’t over until its over, and to keep pushing all the way through until the finish line. You never know what can happen in a sailboat race, so you might as well push all the way.”

The Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition

Pictured: Finn athlete Caleb Paine racing on Day 2 in Rio de Janeiro.

Tuesday’s races were Paine’s first as an Olympian, and the significance of the moment did not escape the San Diego native. “The Olympics is what I’ve been training for for the last six years, and now to be able to do it is a fantastic feeling, and exciting,” said Paine. “It’s interesting to hear stories about the Olympics, and then experience it yourself, while knowing I can rely on those stories in a way that hopefully gets me a medal.”

The Finn fleet is scheduled to move from today’s flat and shifty “Pão de Açucar” course on Guanabara Bay to the open-ocean “Niterói” course tomorrow, which often features sizable waves. Wednesday’s forecast also calls for strong wind. “I think it’s going to be a little easier [tomorrow] in the sense that it’s not as shifty,” said Paine. “It will be a physically taxing day outside, with big breeze. Grinding and boat speed are going to be key.”

Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) had an up-and-down day in the Laser Radial, finishing 10 ,23 in two races and is in 10th overall after two days of sailing on the “Escola Naval” and “Ponte” courses on Guanabara Bay. Racing areas in the Bay are known for their nuanced current and wave patterns, which have been the subject of intense study by most national teams since 2012. Nevertheless, Railey said that Tuesday’s racing served up some tactical curveballs. “We’ve spent a lot of time here, so I felt pretty prepared for stuff that was going to happen, and the conditions here,” said Railey. “It’s always the regatta curse, that whenever you start the racing it seems to be different than when you did all the training.”

The Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition

Pictured: Paige Railey battling current and wind shifts on Guanabara Bay.

Despite a tough second race, Railey remains undaunted. “You just kind of have to roll with the punches and go day by day,” said the two-time Olympian and World Champion. “It’s very difficult conditions, and everyone is up and down. We’ll see if things start to steady out over time.”

Men’s Laser athlete Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a rollercoaster of a day as well, and recorded scores closely matching Railey’s with a 10,23 on the “Ponte” course. The Laser North American Champion sits in 16th overall, and like Railey will race on the open-ocean “Copacabana” course tomorrow off Rio’s iconic beach.

Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif., Women’s RS:X) recorded scores of 13,22(RDG),23 in the women’s RS:X board fleet. In the second race of the day (Race 5), Lepert was involved in a collision with a Brazilian athlete. Lepert won the resulting protest and was awarded redress by the jury, which will make her Race 5 score equal to that of the average points of the rest of her scores during the regatta. In the Men’s RS:X fleet, Pedro Pascual (West Palm Beach, Fla., Men’s RS:X) recorded scores of 27,37,29 on the day.

Sailing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will continue on Wednesday, August 10, which will be the first day of competition for the Men’s and Women’s 470 classes and Americans Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.), Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.), Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.).

2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro

Pictured: Marion Lepert (USA) shortly before the start of Race 5 in the Women’s RS:X.

U.S. Sailing Team Results: Day 2 (Tuesday, August 9)

Men’s Finn: (Top 10)

  1. SLO – ZBOGAR Vasilij: 4 points
  2. TUR – KAYNAR Alican: 7 points
  3. ARG – OLEZZA BAZAN Facundo: 10 points
  4. BRA – ZARIF Jorge: 10 points
  5. CRO – KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan: 14 points
  6. DEN – HOGH-CHRISTENSEN Jonas: 15 points
  7. ITA – POGGI Giorgio: 15 points
  8. USA – PAINE Caleb: 17 points
  9. EST – KARPAK Deniss: 19 points
  10. GBR – SCOTT Giles: 20 points

Women’s Laser Radial: (Top 10)

  1. CHN-  XU, Lijia, 7 points
  2. IRL – MURPHY, Annalise: 12 points
  3. DEN – RINDOM, Anne-Marie: 13 points
  4. NED – BOUWMEESTER, Marit: 14 points
  5. BEL – VAN ACKER, Evi: 16 points
  6. LTU – SCHEIDT, Ginter: 18 points
  7. FIN – TENKANEN, Tuula: 22 points
  8. CRO – MIHELIC, Tina: 25 points
  9. HUN – ERDI, Maria: 26 points
  10. USA – RAILEY, Paige: 27 points

Women’s RS:X: (Top 10)

  1. ITA – TARTAGLINI, Flavia: 12 points
  2. FRA – PICON, Charline: 13 points
  3. RUS – ELFUTINA, Stefaniya: 18 points
  4. NED – DE GEUS, Lilian: 20 points
  5. ISR – DAVIDOVICH, Maayan: 24 points
  6. ESP – ALABAU NEIRA, Marina: 31 points
  7. FIN – PETAJA-SIREN, Tuuli: 31 points
  8. CHN – CHEN, Peina: 39 points
  9. USA – LEPERT, Marion: 45 points (unofficial)
  10. BRA – FRETS, Patricia: 47 points (unofficial)

Men’s Laser:

16. USA – BUCKINGHAM, Charlie: 37 points

Men’s RS:X:

30. USA – PASCUAL, Pedro: 136 points

Note: Full results can be found at the Rio 2016 homepage. 

Viewing Guide

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will feature unprecedented coverage of sailing for fans in the United States. Between NBC’s world-class television and online programming, US Sailing’s multi-channel coverage, and comprehensive daily email reports sent directly to fans, anyone hoping to follow the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team will have a better view than during any previous Olympics.

For more details on how to follow the action, check out the US Sailing Team’s viewing guide.

Quick Links:

U.S. Olympic Sailing Team:

Social Media: 

Rio 2016:

About The U.S. Olympic Sailing Team

The Rio 2016 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team is comprised of fifteen sailors hailing from eight U.S. States and territories including California, Washington, Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island, Florida, Wisconsin, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each athlete qualified for the team based on the results of US Sailing’s Rio 2016 Athlete Selection Series. The Games of the XXXI Olympiad will take place from August 5-21, 2016, and the sailing events will be based at Marina da Gloria on Rio de Janeiro’s harbor front. The largest sporting event in the world, the Olympic Games will feature approximately 10,500 athletes from over 200 countries competing in 306 medal events. The sailing events will feature approximately 380 athletes competing in ten classes. Learn more about the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program at www.ussailing.org/olympics

About US Sailing

The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org

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Contact: Will Ricketson, Press Officer (Sailing)
Email: willricketson@ussailing.org
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