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Olympic Sailing Medals Finn Class - Ainslie, Railey, Florent

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Boating and Sailing News 17 Aug

Olympic Sailing Finn Class - Olympic Medal Race

Great Britain's Ben Ainslie won the Olympic gold medal sailing in the Finn class today, with Zach Railey of the USA grabbing the silver in the first truly exciting sailing race of the 2008 Olympics. Thanks to the approaching storm system, which we reported yesterday, for the first time the wind picked up, the waves got big, and the spectators in Qingdao got to see what real sailing is all about. Now this is the kind of racing we have all have been waiting for.

Ben Ainslie won his fourth Olympic medal in his favorite way - by leading the race from start to finish. Olympic medals are what it is all about for Ainslie, having won three previously, and he made it clear to all of us from the beginning that nothing less than a gold medal would do in this year's Olympics. With this third consecutive Olympic gold medal, 31 year old Ainslie is now the second most decorated sailor ever to compete at the Olympics, and has earned himself a place in Olympic history as the most decorated of all British Olympic sailors.

Ainslie said, “Today we had a nice little rain with wind up to 20 knots. It's a lot like sailing at home in Britain. I tried to keep my eye on the American during the start of the race. After a little while, I just went on and tried to sail my own race. I made some big gains during the second half of the first leg. The last downwind was a little scary. I kept telling myself, 'don't capsize, don‘t capsize'. All in all, this is my best last race in all of the four Olympics that I've participated in." Ainslie added, "This feeling is truly amazing, and it‘s a massive relief. I could open the Champagne right now and rightfully so."

Olympic Sailing Finn Class Ainslie Railey

Zach Railey of the USA Olympic sailing team was the only sailor with any hope of stealing the gold from Ainslie, and with a sixth place finish at the medal race, he was forced to settle for silver - not the gold his fans were hoping for, but an incredible performance for this first time Olympic athlete.

Zach commented on winning his Olympic silver medal, "It's a big relief. I am proud of myself. I had a little chat with Ben. I told him that I know that he wants to secure his gold medal, and I just wanted to secure my silver." He added regarding his win, "it feels amazing. All of that hard work was worth that moment and I just wish it had lasted a little longer! I’ll have to come back in 2012 and do it again.”

This silver medal is the first Finn medal for the USA in 16 years, and is sure to be just the first of many Olympic sailing medals for the young Zach Railey. When asked about his plans for the future Railey said, “I will continue my training step by step, and goal by goal. I will definitely go for the gold. It's just one more place to go. It has always been my dream to stand on the Olympic podium. The fact that it‘s silver and not gold is not important to me."

Last to snag a place on the Olympic podium was Guillaume Florent of France, who stole the bronze away from Daniel Birgmark of Sweden with a fourth place finish. Florent's Olympic medal is only the second Finn medal for France, the other one being a gold medal to Serge Maury in Kiel in 1972. Florent said his plan today was to try and keep two boats between himself and Birgmark, a plan that payed high dividends for the French sailor. Regarding his Olympic bronze medal Florent said, “I didn't think this would be possible before coming here. This is my first regatta in Qingdao! Everyone needs some luck sometimes, and today I had it. Today was my day. I made my gain at the second upwind. I didn't care about the position, I just needed to put two boats between Sweden and myself and I did."

Congratulations to Ben Ainslie, Zach Railey, and Guillaume Florent on winning their Olympic medals, and to all the sailors in the Finn class for their excellent sailing, and surviving those tough conditions in Qingdao.

Olympic Sailing Finn Class Ainslie Railey

Finn Class Overall Results at the Olympics 2008

1 Great Britain - Ben Ainslie - 23 - Olympic Gold Medal

Olympic Sailing Finn Ben Ainslie

2 USA - Zach Railey - Points: 45 - Olympic Silver Medal

Olympic Sailing Zach Railey

3 FRANCE - Guillaume Florent - Points: 58 - Olympic Bronze Medal

4 SWE Daniel Birgmark 58
5 CAN Christopher Cook 67
6 DEN Jonas Hoegh-Christensen 70
7 SLO Gasper Vincec 72
8 CRO Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 76
9 ESP Rafa Trujillo Villar 80
10 POL Rafal Szukiel 82

- Olympic Sailing Medals - Ainslie, Riley, Florent by K. Hampton for YachtPals.com

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Video: The Olympic sailing medal ceremony after Great Britain's Ben Ainslie won gold, the United States' Zach Railey won silver and France's Guillaume Florent won bronze in the Sailing Finn class at the Olympics.

Submitted By YachtPals on 17 Aug

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