Issue date
Veerle ten Have jumped into the top 10 at the iQFoil world championships in Brest today but the real drama for the Kiwis was on the men's course where both Josh Armit and Thomas Crook were involved in big crashes.
Armit, who started the day in second overall, was third approaching the bottom mark for the final time but was involved in a collision with a Polish sailor that sliced his sail and broke a batten. The damage was so significant Armit was unable to start the next race and he immediately lodged a protest against the Pole only to get disqualified from the race himself.
"We thought we had a pretty good case but, lo and behold, Josh got chucked out of the race," coach Nathan Handley said. "We didn’t see that one coming.
"I don’t know what else Josh could have done. These guys are going so fast, 25-30 knots, and they were lucky not to have even more damage. It could have been really ugly.
"Josh is gutted but he’s been sailing really well. He really deserves to be among the top guys, that’s for sure. He will reset and there are still plenty of races to go."
The event is now at the halfway stage, so Armit will hope he can drop both of those scores and work his way back into the top 10.
Thomas Crook was involved in a crash at the same mark in the same race and also picked up a black flag disqualification. It means he's now sitting in 47th overall in gold fleet.
"It was a bit of a tough day for both of them but they are showing plenty of promise," Handley said.
Ten Have not only kept out of trouble in the women's gold fleet racing today but also jumped 18 places to 10th overall. Her day was highlighted by two second-placed finishes and another top-10 result which ensured she's right back in the hunt.
"I'm feeling a lot more encouraged, for sure," she said. "I had some good moments on the first day but might have a crash or something would happen at a bottom mark and I would lose about 10 places, which was a bit annoying, but today I was a little more on the ball.
"My speed is super-good. Once I have a clear lane I’m sweet. It’s just about getting a good start and going the right way."
There is an expectation among the New Zealand sailors they will do the marathon at some stage tomorrow, which typically takes about an hour, but the format for each day isn't set until the morning of racing and can change as the day progresses depending on the wind strength and direction.
The breeze is expected to build over the next couple of days so the Kiwis will be hoping to stay out of trouble.
Eli Liefting was third in one of his silver fleet races today and is 82nd overall and Antonio Cozzolino is 123rd.
Results and standings after day 3 of the iQFoil World Championships in Brest:
Men (162 boards)
1st: Sebastian Koerdel (GER) (15) 5 1 1 1 1 (2) 1 - 10 points
2nd: Nicolo Renna (ITA) 3 (5) 3 2 3 12 8 (14) - 31 pts
Tom Reuveny (ISR) 3 (9) 3 1 9 7 (18) 10 - 33 pts
32nd: Josh Armit (NZL) 1 1 1 (5) 4 32 (57 DSQ) 57 DNC - 96 pts
47th: Thomas Crook (NZL) 1 13 7 (25) 42 (57 BFD) 27 50 - 140 pts
82nd: Eli Liefting (NZL) 15 7 (27) 23 30 3 (48) 38 DPI - 116 pts
123rd: Antonio Cozzolino (NZL) (39 DNF) 19 25 34 10 9 (13) 13 - 110 pts
Women (102 boards)
1st: Emma Wilson (GBR) 3 3 3 3 (13) 2 (24) 2 1 - 17 pts
2nd: Shahar Tibi (ISR) (5) 1 5 2 1 4 6 (21) 5 - 24 pts
3rd: Lilian de Geus (NED) 1 (35 DNC) 1 2 1 5 11 (24) 12 - 33 pts
10th: Veerle ten Have (NZL) 13 (19) 1 12 18 8 2 (32) 2 - 56 pts
- Pic: Veerle ten Have has moved up to 10th overall at the iQFoil World Championships. Photo: Eric Bellande.
