Sailing at the Olympics - Finn Race Results
Qingdao, China - The first day of sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics saw light winds and some surprising upsets, with 4 to 6 knots and clear blue skies filtered by less than the usual air pollution. The first scheduled race of the day was in the Finn (Heavyweight Dinghy) class, which was won in rather elegant fashion by Emilios Papathanasiou of Greece, however it is Rafal Szukiel of Poland who now leads the Finn in overall standings. The second Finn race was won by Ben Ainsle, who now sits third in the standings along with Chris Cook of Canada, and behind Zach Railey of the US, now in second overall.
The first Olympic Finn race was delayed for 20 minutes due to light winds, and the humidity, heat, and strong currents made for some slow-action sailing conditions on the course in Qingdao once the racing began. The first sailing race of the Olympic Games saw Jonas Hoegh-Christensen of Denmark, followed by Giorgio Poggi of Italy, and Rafal Szukiel of Poland first around the first mark. Although Ben Ainslie rounded the first mark in fifth, he quickly came from up on the tails of the leaders, and began to dominate the fleet. All was looking well for Ben, and you could see his confidence build as he watched his lead over the fleet grow. It looked very much like a done deal, and that Ben Ainslie was about to win the first Finn race of Olympics.
You could almost hear the collective gasp all the way from the UK, when about halfway down the last leg the wind shifted, then became nearly non-existent. Ainslie immediately started losing his lead on the fleet, and all of a sudden sailors started passing the 31 year old from Great Britain left and right. “There was a significant wind shift and the wind just shut down,” Ben Ainslie explained. “The current was going in the other direction, which pushed me all the way to the left.”
This was just the luck Emilios Papathanasiou of Greece was looking for, and the sailor steadily overtook Ainslie, moving to the front of the fleet. Zach Railey of the USA also took advantage of the situation, and moved from behind the pack to finish in second place, as did Rafal Szukiel of Poland, who finished third. Ainslie was deflated, as were his fans, when he crossed the finish line in 10th place, but he was not defeated.
The second Finn race at the Olympics also saw light winds. Ainslie once again dominated downwind, to lead the fleet round the bottom gate, but in this race, Ben Ainslie held on to his lead, winning race two by 12 seconds. "In the second race, I was a little bit frustrated and I was still trying to get over the first race mentally. I got a good start and I worked my way around." said Ainslie.
Rafal Szukiel, fought his way to a second place finish in race 2, and is currently first overall in the Finn class at the Olympics with 5 points. “I like light wind,” said the Olympic sailor at the end of his races, adding, “you must understand the current as well.” As has been said: It's going to be the sailiors who can react to the strange Qingdao conditions who will prevail.
Szukiel is followed on the leader-board by Zach Railey of the US Olympic Sailing Team, who finished second and fifth for seven points. Railey commented on the light winds on the course, “These are the conditions we were expecting in Qingdao - it was typical Qingdao sailing. The fleet is very tight and it is very close racing.”
British sailor Ben Ainslie is currently tied with Christopher Cook of Canada for third place overall in the Finn class with 11 points. But don't count Ben out yet. Ainslie already has two Olympic gold medals and one silver, and his quick response to the conditions between the two races was obvious in the finish. Ben earned his first Olympic medal when he was just 19 year's old, sailing the Laser at the 1996 Olympic Games. He went on to win a gold medal in Athens sailing the Finn, and another gold in Sydney in the Laser class.
As an aside, the women's Yngling races have also started sailing at the Olympics in Qingdao. The British team of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, often refered to as "three blondes in a boat," got off to a great start in China, and are at the top the women's leaderboard for the Yngling class.
More news and results on the Finn, Yngling, and 49er sailboat races (which start today) at the Olympics are coming soon.
Olympic Sailing Race Results
Finn Olympic Class Heavy-Weight Dinghy - Race 01
Finn Race 01
1 Greece - Emilios PAPATHANASIOU
2 United States - Zach RAILEY
3 Poland - Rafal SZUKIEL
4 India
JOHAL Nachhatar Singh
5 France
FLORENT Guillaume
6 Brazil
COUTO Eduardo
7 Croatia
KLJAKOVIC-GASPIC Ivan
8 Canada
COOK Christopher
9 Slovenia
VINCEC Gasper
10 Great Britain
AINSLIE Ben
11 Australia
NOSSITER Anthony
12 Spain
TRUJILLO Rafa
13 Cyprus
PAPADOPOULOS Haris
14 Sweden
BIRGMARK Daniel
15 Czech Republic
MAIER Michael
16 Denmark
HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN Jonas
17 Italy
POGGI Giorgio
18 Finland
NIRKKO Tapio
19 Netherlands
POSTMA Pieter-Jan
20 Turkey
TUFEKCI Ali Kemal
21 New Zealand
SLATER Dan
22 Ireland
GOODBODY Tim
23 Norway
MOBERG Peer
24 Russian Fed.
SKORNYAKOV Eduard
25 China
ZHANG Peng
26 Venezuela
BILBAO BANDE Jhonny Senen
Olympic Sailing Race Results
Finn Olympic Class Heavy-Weight Dinghy - Race 02
Finn Race 02
1 Great Britain - Ben AINSLIE
2 Poland - Rafal SZUKIEL
3 Canada - Chris COOK
4 Spain
Rafa TRUJILLO
5 United States
Zach RAILEY
6 Denmark
Jonas HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN
7 Italy
Giorgio POGGI
8 France
Guillaume FLORENT
9 Finland
Tapio NIRKKO
10 Croatia
Ivan KLJAKOVIC-GASPIC
11 Slovenia
Gasper VINCEC
12 Venezuela
Jhonny Senen BILBAO BANDE
13 Ireland
Tim GOODBODY
14 Czech Republic
Michael MAIER
15 Netherlands
Pieter-Jan POSTMA
16 Brazil
Eduardo COUTO
17 Sweden
Daniel BIRGMARK
18 Cyprus
Haris PAPADOPOULOS
19 New Zealand
Dan SLATER
20 Russian Fed.
Eduard SKORNYAKOV
21 Turkey
Ali Kemal TUFEKCI
22 Australia
Anthony NOSSITER
23 China
Peng ZHANG
24 India
Nachhatar Singh JOHAL
- Greece
Emilios PAPATHANASIOU
DNF
- Norway
Peer MOBERG
DSQ
Olympic Sailing Race Results
Finn Olympic Class Heavy-Weight Dinghy - OVERALL
Finn Overall Standings & Points
1. Rafal Szukiel (Poland) 5
2. Zach Railey (U.S.) 7
3. Ben Ainslie (Britain) 11
3. Chris Cook (Canada) 11
5. Guillaume Florent (France) 13
6. Rafael Trujillo (Spain) 16
7. Ivan Kljakovic-Gaspic (Croatia) 17
8. Gasper Vincec (Slovenia) 20
9. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (Denmark)22
9. Eduardo Couto (Brazil) 22
11. Giorgio Poggi (Italy) 24
12. Tapio Nirkko (Finland) 27
13. Emilios Papathanasiou (Greece) 28
14. Nachhatar Singh Johal (India) 28
15. Michael Maier (Czech Republic) 29
16. Haris Papadopoulos (Cyprus) 31
17. Daniel Birgmark (Sweden) 31
18. Anthony Nossiter (Australia) 33
19. Pieter-Jan Postma (Netherlands) 34
20. Tim Goodbody (Ireland) 35
- K. Hampton for YachtPals.com
READ MORE ABOUT THE FINN CLASS SAILBOAT, OR SAILING AT THE Olympics:
- Olympics (all news, photos, boat information, and blogs about sailing at the Olympics)
- Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics - Sailing
- Olympic Goo - Algae Invades Qingdao Sailing Venue
- From the Olympic Sailing Center in China
- Spy Drones, Algae, and Dirty Air - Sailing at the Olympics
- Goo Gone - Sailing Center Cleared of Algae for the Olympics
- Interview with Sarah Mergenthaller of the US Olympic Sailing Team
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - Laser and Laser Radial Sailboats
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - Tornado Class Catamarans
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - Yngling Class Sailboats
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - The Star Class Sailboats
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - The FINN Class Sailboats
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - The 470 Class Sailboats
- Olympic Sailing 2008 - The 49er Class Sailboats
- Sailors in the Spotlight - 2008 Olympic Sailing Teams
- Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics - US Olympic Sailing Team
- Sailing at the Olympics - 49er Race Results
- Sailor in the Spotlight Interview - Tom Slingsby
- Sailing at the Olympics - Laser and Laser Radial Results
- Sailing at the Olympics - Yngling Race Results
-- Sailing at the 2008 Olympics - Quick Look at Olympic Sailing Classes --
Multihull Sailboat = Tornado
Skiff Doublehanded Open Sailboat = 49er
Women's Windsurfer = RS:X
Women's One Person Sailing Dinghy = Laser Radial
Women's Two Person Sailing Dinghy = 470
Women's Keelboat = Yngling
Men's Windsurfer = RS:X
Men's One Person Sailing Dinghy = Laser
Men's One Person Sailing Dinghy = FINN
Men's Two Person Sailing Dinghy = 470
Men's Keelboat = Star
Sailing Video: Great Britain's Olympic sailor in the Finn class Ben Ainslie.
Submitted By YachtPals on 09 Aug
Finn,Olympics,Sailing,Qingdao,China,Beijing,finn class,sailboats,sailing Olympics,boat,boats,Olympic sailing,Olympics sailing, finn olympics,sailboat,dinghy, Ben Aislie, Chris Cook, Zach Railey, Rafal Szukiel
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USA Olympic team's Zach Railey
Go Zach Go!
USA Olympic team Zach Railey
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ZACH, WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF YOU BACK IN CLEARWATER!!!
Zach Railey - Your 5 th Grade Teacher Cheering You On
Wowwwwwwwweeeeeeeee!!!! I'm not surprised at your winning spirit.
I'm watching and rooting you on back here in FL - we are proud you are representing the good old USA
P.S. - I pulled out pic from 5th grade - you are a bit taller, but still have that cute young face!!!
Mrs. W.
Olympics - Zach Railey of the USA leads in the Finn
Zach Railey of the USA has risen to the top of the Finn (Heavyweight Dinghy) leaderboard, with two second place finishes on day two of racing at the Olympics in Qingdao. This now gives Zach a five-point advantage over Ben Ainslie.
Zach Railey leads the Finn Olympic series with 11 points. Ben Ainslie has 16 points, and Christopher Cook of Canada is in third place in the Finn overall standings at 28 points.
DNF
DNF
DNE
DSQ
Congrats Zach Railey!
Congrats Zach Railey!
Your friends from Charleston, SC are so proud of you! Go for the gold!
The Zimmermans
Olympics - Finn Race Results and Sailing Update
FINN RESULTS
FINN - Provisional top five results after three days of sailing at the Olympics.
1st Ben Ainslie GBR - 17 points ((10), 1, 4, 1, 1, 10)
2nd Zach Railey USA - 18 points (2, 5, 2, 2, 7, (8))
3rd Guillaume Florent FRA - 26 points (5, 8, (20), 3, 4, 6)
4th Christopher Cook CAN - 33 points (8, 3, 7, 10, (23), 5)
5th Gasper Vincec SLO - 34 points (9, 11, 6, 5, 3 (13))
Finn Class - Olympic Sailing Update and Results
Zach Riley of the USA didn't have much luck in race 5 and 6 at the Olympics, where he placed 7th and 8th. Ben Ainslie holds onto his lead in the Finn class, but by the narrowest of margins - just 1 point!
Finn Overall Results after 6 Olympic races (top 4 sailors).
1 GBR
Ben Ainslie
Points: 27
2 USA
Zach Railey
Points: 26
3 FRA
Guillaume Florent
Points: 46
4 CAN
Christopher Cook
Points: 56
Today is a rest day for the Finn sailors, but Finn sailing at the Olympics resumes on Wednesday.
Zach Railey sailing for USA
Only 2 points away fro the lead. You can do it Zach :)
Your friends in Texas are rooting for you.
Finn Class - Olympic Sailing Update and Results
Ben Ainslie of Great Britain took second in Wednesday's Finn class Olympic sailing race, and retains his overall lead on Zach Railey of the USA.
"It was a long wait for one race and the conditions were very light," Ainslie told reporters after the second Finn race was postponed due to lack of wind.
FINN OVERALL RESULTS AFTER 7 OLYMPIC RACES
1 GBR
Ben Ainslie
Points: 29
2 USA
Zach Railey
Points: 33
3 FRA
Guillaume Florent
Points: 50
Finn Class Olympic Sailing Update and Results - Ainslie & Railey
Ben Ainslie of Great Britain has increased his lead over Zach Railey of the USA, and all eyes are now upon him to see if he will win his third consecutive Olympic gold medal after a second place finish today.
Disappointment struck Zach Railey and his fans when on the second beat of his race he dropped from ninth to 19th place at the finish. However Zach can discard this from his net score, and has extended his gap on third place to 11 points. Railey's coach had this to say, "Zach is feeling very good going into tomorrow's race. Today when he saw his placing at the top mark he decided to use this race to play it tactically for tomorrow's Medal Race."
Finn Class Results - After 8 Olympic Events
Current Overall Position at Olympics & Nation
Sailing Crew
Olympic Race Points Total & Net
1 GBR
Ben Ainslie
31 21
2 USA
Zach Railey
52 33
3 SWE
Daniel Birgmark
61 44
4 FRA
Guillaume Florent
71 50
5 CAN
Christopher Cook
74 51
6 SLO
Gasper Vincec
65 52
7 CRO
Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic
74 58
8 DEN
Jonas Hoegh-Christensen
91 66
9 POL
Rafal Szukiel
94 72
10 ESP
Rafa Trujillo Villar
101 74
11 ITA
Giorgio Poggi
95 74
12 NZL
Dan Slater
97 76
13 BRA
Eduardo Couto
116 89
14 NED
Pieter-Jan Postma
115 93
15 GRE
Emilios Papathanasiou
128 101
16 AUS
Anthony Nossiter
123 101
17 RUS
Eduard Skornyakov
126 102
18 FIN
Tapio Nirkko
124 102
19 NOR
Peer Moberg
134 107
20 TUR
Ali Kemal Tufekci
128 107
21 IRL
Timothy Goodbody
134 112
22 CYP
Haris Papadopoulos
142 115
23 IND
Nachhatar Singh Johal
152 128
24 CHN
Peng Zhang
157 131
25 CZE
Michael Maier
162 137
26 VEN
Johnny Bilbao
175 149
The Finn class is scheduled to wrap up at the Olympics in China tomorrow. With Zach Railey 12 points from Ben Ainslie in the lead, and the medal race counting as double points, the tension is palpable today at the sailing venue in Qingdao.
Finn Class Olympic Sailing Update - MEDAL RACE ABANDONED
The Finn class medal race had to be abandoned after the start today, due to lack of wind. Good thing too, it was comical watching Ben Ainslie and Zach Railey attempting to sail in the 3 knot winds off Qingdao.
During the medal race attempt the sailor from Sweden actually hit the race committee boat when he lost steerage. Certainly not a typical event at this level of racing.
Until the Olympic officials called the race, it was like watching varnish dry, and we thank the committee for finally calling an end to all of our misery and rescheduling the Finn class medal race for Sunday in Qingdao.
Finn Class Medal Race at the Olympics
The Finn class medal race ran today with Ben Ainslie taking the gold medal!
READ THE FULL STORY ON THE FINAL FINN SAILING RACE OF THE 2008 OLYMPICS, AND THE OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS IN THE FINN CLASS HERE:
Olympic Sailing Medals Finn Class - Ainslie, Railey, Florent
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