Issue date
Tom Saunders will be eyeing a place on the podium after jumping up the standings at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands overnight.
(Photo: Sailing Energy)
Saunders won the day's first race and backed it up with a fifth to climb to fourth after three days of racing. Crucially, the discard came into play and he will be able to drop the 51st he registered from a DNC in the first race but will need to bank some more good results because of his high discard score.
He now has 18 points, only two points behind Cypriot Pavlos Kontides in third and only four behind leader Elliot Hanson from Great Britain with two races remaining before the double points medal race.
Saunders is a member of Yachting New Zealand's Olympic development squad, which sits just behind the top-tier NZL Sailing Team, and is hoping to put pressure on Olympic bronze medallist Sam Meech in the Laser. Meech is back in New Zealand after competing at last month's World Cup event in Hyeres and a training block in Croatia, where the Laser world championships will be held in September.
Another trying to push Meech is Andrew McKenzie, who is part of the Aon Fast Track programme. McKenzie is in 12th in the 100-boat fleet after a 20th and seventh overnight. He showed his potential by winning the fourth race of the regatta.
"Light and fickle conditions for day three," McKenzie said. "I got off to good starts in both races but couldn't convert in race one, coming home with a 20 and seven. With the drop coming into play, I'm sitting in 12th overall but very close to the top 10.
"With similar conditions forecast for tomorrow, it's all on for the final two races of gold fleet before the medal race tomorrow night."
Susannah Pyatt is the best placed of the three Kiwis in the Laser Radial fleet, sitting in 23rd overall, and she showed good speed overnight with a fifth. Antonio Cozzolino is also 23rd in the RS:X.
NZ results and standings after day three of the Delta Lloyd regatta in the Netherlands overnight (NZT)
Laser (100 boats)
4th - Tom Saunders: (51) DNC, 3, 7, 2, 1, 5 (18 points)
12th - Andrew McKenzie: 7, 11, 1, 14, (20), 7 (40 points)
Laser Radial (68 boats)
23rd - Susannah Pyatt: 19, 18, (24), 4, 19, 5 (65 points)
57th - Olivia Christie: 26, 14, 27, 19, (30), 25 (111)
64th - Annabelle Rennie- Younger: 25, 20, (32), 30, 24, 27 (126 points)
RS:X (31 in fleet)
23rd - Antonio Cozzolino: 17, 16, 13, 19, 20, (22), 22, 17, 19 (143 points)
