POSTED: Friday April 10th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eight medal haul for Brits at Palma World Cup
ISAF World Cup event in Palma, Majorca
Britain’s sailors proved a potent force on the final day of the ISAF World Cup event in Palma, Majorca, claiming seven medals from Friday’s finals including a clean sweep in the Finn class.
Helena Lucas’s bronze from the 2.4mR class on Thursday brings Skandia Team GBR’s medal haul at this Princess Sofia Trophy to eight overall – two gold, two silver and four bronze – at this first major event for the season for the majority of the British team.
The British Finn squad were a class act in Friday’s final ten-boat showdown, claiming the top four places in the medal race to clinch all three overall podium spots, with Giles Scott securing his first gold at a major international regatta.
Ed Wright crossed the line first in the medal race but took silver behind Scott, while development squad sailor Andrew Mills capped off a superb week with bronze.
Finn Junior World Champion Scott described his win as ‘amazing,’ but admitted he didn’t have it all his own way in today’s final.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking actually because I made it difficult for myself,” Scott explained. “I was doing penalty turns with 20 seconds to go and I think I rounded the top mark in eighth, Andrew Mills was winning and I was kind of thinking ‘oh dear’.”
Scott continued: “To date it’s probably one my most memorable regattas because it’s a decent international Finn event so it’s good to know I’m moving in the right direction.”
Nick Thompson secured back to back World Cup victories by claiming gold in the Laser class in Palma, to add to his gold from leg two of the World Cup series in Miami.
“It’s great to take home the gold at both events. The goal was top three and so come away with a gold is brilliant,” Thompson explained.
“It’s a great start to the season – it’s really important for me,” continued Thompson, who was a European bronze medallist in 2007 and training partner to Olympic Champion Paul Goodison in the run-up to the Beijing Games.
“I’ve had a pretty good winter’s training and now’s the time to really lay down that I’m a contender and capable of winning events.”
Skandia Team GBR bagged silver and bronze in the 49er class on Friday, with John Pink-Rick Peacock making it two back to back World Cup silver medals from Miami and Palma, and Dave Evans-Simon Hiscocks boosting the British medal tally with bronze.
Athens Olympic bronze medallist Nick Dempsey also claimed bronze in the RS:X men’s windsurfing event, pulling out all the stops to cross the line first in the final race and boost himself into the top three right when it mattered.
“I’ve had six months off since the Games, and then six weeks training so it’s quite a good sign that you’re not a million miles off where you should be,” said Dempsey.
“Although it’s disappointing to not win every event you ever enter, the only one that really matters for me this year is the World Championships in September.”
In the 470 women’s class Penny Clark and Saskia Clark finished fifth overall, with Hannah Mills and Katrina Hughes sixth and Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth ninth, while Olympic bronze medallist Bryony Shaw ended her regatta in fifth.
RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park paid credit to his team’s performance at this early season regatta.
“It’s been great to see the Finn lads, particularly Andrew Mills, stepping up this week,” enthused Park, “and also great for John Pink and Rick Peacock to get two second places at two consecutive World Cup events. They’re clearly beginning to establish themselves as senior players in the 49er fleet.
“It’s also been a good start to Penny and Saskia’s campaign in the 470, having only been sailing together for three weeks prior to this event – and but for one or two mistakes earlier in the week Hannah Mills and Katrina Hughes would have been in the medals, but it’s all good learning experience for them,” Park continued.
“There are some fleets where we still need to improve our consistency, but overall it’s been really encouraging at this first major event of the new cycle and I’m looking forward to the next World Cup event in Hyeres when the competition will step up a gear.”
For full results and information, visit http://www.skandiateamgbr.com/
Skandia Team GBR medal haul:
Gold
Giles Scott (Finn)
Nick Thompson (Laser)
Silver
John Pink-Rick Peacock (49er)
Ed Wright (Finn)
Bronze
Dave Evans-Simon Hiscocks (49er)
Nick Dempsey (RS:X Men)
Helena Lucas (2.4mR)
Andrew Mills (Finn)
ENDS
For rights free images for editorial use, visit Skandia Team GBR’s Media Archive at http://media.skandiateamgbr.
For more information, please contact:
Lindsey Bell
Skandia Team GBR Communications Manager
T: 02380 604216
M: 07900 570530
Notes for Editors:
Ø The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the national governing body for all forms of sailing, windsurfing, and powerboat racing.
Ø The RYA is recognised by all government offices as being the negotiating body for the activities it represents. It continually fights for the rights and freedoms of its 103,000 personal members, the majority of whom choose to go afloat for purely recreational non-competitive pleasure on coastal and inland waters.
Ø It represents a further estimated 500,000 boat owners nationally through its 1600 affiliated clubs and boat owner associations.
Ø Olympic and Youth sailing is a beneficiary of the Lottery funded World Class Programmes (WCP) and administered by the Sports Councils. The Programmes focus on performance sport with the aim of achieving sporting excellence on the world stage. Further information can be found on the UK Sport website at www.uksport.gov.uk and Sport England’s website at ”>http://www.sportengland.org/\”>www.sportengland.org. The Volvo RYA Champion Club Programme, RYA Volvo Youth Squad, RYA Volvo Transitional training, RYA Volvo Youth National Championships and Trials and the RYA Volvo Zone & Home Countries Championships are supported by Volvo Car UK.
Ø Further information can be found at ”>http://www.rya.org.uk/\”>www.rya.org.uk
About Skandia
Skandia in the UK launched in 1979 and is now one of the leading international long term savings groups providing pensions, investment and protection products through intermediaries in the UK and overseas, with assets under management of £34.9n (as at 31.12.08). Creators of the MultiManager approach, Skandia has teamed up with the world\‘s top fund managers to create a range of funds tailored for investors\’ individual needs.
Skandia UK is part of an international group founded in Sweden in 1855. The group is a leading, independent provider of long-term savings solutions.
Skandia UK is a division of the Skandia Group, itself owned by Old Mutual plc. Old Mutual is an international financial services group, listed on the London Stock Exchange where it is a FTSE 100® company, making it one of the largest 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Old Mutual is headquartered in London.
Being a part of Old Mutual makes Skandia a key division of the seventh largest life assurer in Europe, with a strong financial base. The combined group has funds under management of £264.8 billion and has approximately 50,000* employees.
*As at 30 December 2008, Source: Old Mutual
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Keywords · ISAF World Cup event in Palma · Majorca · sailing
Name: Lindsey Bell
Organization: Royal Yachting Association
Email:
Phone: +44.02380.604100
URL: http://www.rya.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx
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