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The Youth Olympic Games ended in frustration and disappointment for the New Zealand sailors competing in Argentina, with illness and penalties hampering their chances of success.
Veerle ten Have was 13th in the girl's boardsailing (techno 293+), Max van der Zalm 14th in the boy's boardsailing (techno 293+) and Pai Gordon 12th in the girl's kiteboarding.
Ten Have went into the regatta on the back of a silver medal at this year's Youth Sailing World Championships in the United States but struggled in the light conditions and with the techno board, which has a smaller rig than the RS:X 8.5 she's more familiar with.
She won one race - a slalom race and was otherwise knocking around the top 10.
"No more techno for me, ever," she declared on Instagram. "It was a love-hate relationship. As I already thought, it was a super-tough regatta, finishing just out of the top 10. And unfortunately I got sick on the second to last day leaving me with no energy. We had hot days, freezing days and mostly light days."
Italy's Giorgia Speciale, who was third at the Youth Sailing World Championships, dominated the competition, winning five races and finishing 18 points ahead of France's Manon Pianazza. Ten Have wasn't the only fancied sailor to struggle with Great Britain's Islay Watson, who won the youth worlds, finishing 11th.
Ten Have, though, was keeping things in perspective.
"Today, exactly four years ago, I did my first regatta," she said. "Now I'm here at the Youth Olympics."
Van der Zalm had a frustrating time in the boy's techno 293+, starting with a black flag disqualification in his first race. He picked up two more penalties which scuppered his chances of a top finish.
"I am personally disappointed and annoyed at my result," van der Zalm said. "Overall, I was consistently having top-10 results and would have been sitting in around sixth place but for some unnecessary penalties that ruined my competition completely.
"I am happy that I am understanding the game properly. I am almost making my way to the top. [I] just felt like the odds were constantly stacked against me."
Both van der Zalm and ten Have, along with Gordon, will be interested to discover what classes and equipment will be included on the programme on the 2024 Paris Olympics when World Sailing meet at the end of the year.
Results and standings from the sailing at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina:
Boy's T293+ (24 boards)
1st: Kalpo Kalpogiannaki (GRE) 1 1 2 (13) 1 2 3 2 1 1 2 7 - 23 points 2nd: Nicolo Renna (ITA) 3 3 1 7 2 1 (9) 1 2 2 1 13 - 36 pts 3rd: Finn Hawkins (GBR) 4 RDG 4 8 4 3 5 (13) 5 3 4 3 3 - 46 pts
14th: Max van der Zalm (NZL) (25 BFD) 8 25 DSQ 10 9 13 11 11 STP 7 9 14 12 - 129 pts
Girl's T293+ (23 boards)
1st: Giorgia Speciale (ITA) 1 1 3 3 2 1 2 3 3 (4) 1 1 - 21 pts 2nd: Manon Pianazza (FRA) 3 2 5 (10) 1 8 1 7 1 2 7 2 - 39 pts 3rd: Yana Rezikova (RUS) 2 3 1 (13) 4 2 13 8 6 1 3 3 - 46 pts
13th: Veerle ten Have (NZL) 11 8 15 1 12 13 11 10 15 14 (24 UFD) 13 - 123 pts
Women's TTR (12 boards)
1st: Sofia Tomasoni (ITA) 3 2 4 3 (8) (7) 1 - 1 2nd=: Nina Font (ESP) 1 (6) 6 (7) 2 4 2 - 2 2nd= Poema Newland (FRA) 5 (12) (12) 2 7 2 2 - 2
12th: Pia Gordon (NZL) (12) 11 11 STP (12) 12 - 43 pts
See here for full results
