Olympic Worldcup 2016 - Semaine Olympique - Hyères FRA - Day 1

Much wind on the opening day of the Hyères Olympic Week yesterday. The initial 18 kn increased to up to 30 kn during the day, but nevertheless, all classes - except the 49ersFX - completed at least one race. It was not only the strong breeze, but also the up to 50° shifts from the Mistral blowing from the West shore that made racing tactically challenging.
The experienced Belcher/Ryan AUS kept control in the 470 men with the day ranks 1 and 2, taking the overall lead ahead of Patience/Grube GBR and Fantela/Marenic CRO. Demonstration also from the 470 women Olympic Champions Aleh/Powrie NZL with Skrzypulec/Mrozek POL and Oliveira/Barbachan BRA as first chasers. The favorites lead also in the 49ers after three races with Burling/Tuke NZL ahead of Philipps/Philipps AUS and Pink/Bithell GBR. In the Finns, Josh Junior NZL is in the lead ahead of Caleb Paine USA and Oliver Tewddell AUS. Only one race with numerous abandonments and capsizes happened in the Nacra 17. Vaireaux/Audinet FRA were the race winners followed by Echevarri/Pacheco ESP and Jones/Saunders NZL. Winning 2 of the 3 heats in the RS:X men windsurfers was Pawel Tarnowski POL with Joao Rodrigues POR and Thomas Goyard FRA on the rank 2 and 3. The surprising leader in the RS:X women is Hélène Noesmoen FRA with 2 wins in 3 races, leaving the big-breeze specialists Maja Dziarnowska POL and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka POL on the ranks 2 and 3. See separate news for the Lasers.

Best of NorAm nations:
470 men: McNay/Hughes USA 11th, Jacob+Graeme Saunders CAN 36th
470 women: Haeger/Provancha USA 24th (with a DNF)
49er: Barrows/Morris USA 30th
49erFX: no races
Finn: Caleb Paine 2nd, Martin Robitaille CAN 15th
Laser Standard: Robert Davis CAN 24th, Chris Barnard USA 39th
Laser Radial: Isabelle Bertold CAN 21st
Nacra-17: Ramsay/Girke CAN and Gulari/Chafee both DNF
RS:X men: Gabriel Paquette CAN 28th, Pedro Pascual USA 39th
RS:X women: Marion Lepert USA 5th, Demita Vega MEX 22nd
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