Matt Wearn (AUS) looks poised to become a two-time world champion after tomorrow’s medal race with a statesmanlike performance in the last two gold fleet races today.
In near nuclear conditions off Adelaide that saw 25-plus knot winds and more than two-metre seas, Wearn held his nerve and ended the day with a neat 4,2 scorecard.
“Points going into today between Micky, myself and Hermann were extremely close, and it was a big breeze day for the final two races,” Wearn said.
“It was sort of all to play for and I just had to go out there and have a really solid day.”
His nearest rival Micky Beckett (GBR) came into today just one point behind the lead, however with a nasty discard already on his scorecard, he could ill afford a double-digit result.
After a 12th in the first of today’s races that he was then forced to carry, he backed it up with a second, however ended the day in third overall, nine points behind the consistent leader.
Norway’s Hermann Tomasgaard claimed a third in the opening race, but then finished with a now-dropped 21st, which after the recalculation puts him in second place a point ahead of Beckett.
It opens up a number of opportunities for Beckett and Tomasgaard, who may choose to match race each other for silver, or lay everything on the line in an attempt to wrestle the gold from Wearn.
Wearn said the strong winds and big waves made it difficult to race the competitors around you today, but with a similar breeze forecast for the medal race it was about backing your fitness and ability and just working hard.
“I think in this sort of stuff where it’s getting up to 25-plus knots, you’ve just got to sail your own race, obviously you can keep an eye on the other guys but at the end of the day you’ve just got to execute and hike like hell,” he said.”
“It’ll still be all to play for (tomorrow) and I think in the top three there’ll be a nice little battle.”
While the podium positions in this World Championship are locked away ahead of the medal race, there is also a clear top 10 picture starting to take shape with the prospect of some minor reshuffling tomorrow.
Former World Champion Philipp Buhl (GER) had a 6,1 today that put him clear into fourth position, while New Zealand’s Thomas Saunders sits in fifth, and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Bernaz is sixth.
The remaining spots in the medal race will be made up with Pavlos Kontides (CYP), Finn Lynch (IRL), Luke Elliott (AUS) and Filip Jurišic (CRO), who have guaranteed themselves top 10 Worlds finishes here in Adelaide.
Olympic qualification spots are also being decided at this Worlds, with a number of countries that missed the medal race still set to battle it out in a final Race 11 that starts at midday tomorrow.
Tracking will be available in tomorrow’s 10-boat medal race, which can be accessed HERE.
For more information head to https://ilca2024adelaide.ilca-worlds.org/
