ISAF Match Race Rankings – 15 May 2013
Ian Williams (GBR) and Claire Leroy (FRA) hold onto World #1 in the Open and Women’s Match Race Rankings whilst ISAF Nations Cup European Regional Final Winner Viktor Ogeman reaps the rewards of his success to move to a personal best of World #28.
Open Rankings
With the Alpari World Match Race Tour getting underway on 15 May a busy year of Open match racing lies ahead and Ian Williams (GBR) is perfectly primed at the top of the Open Rankings with a healthy advantage. Williams is nearly 900 points ahead of Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and over 1,300 ahead of World #3 Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA).
Will Tiller (NZL) solidified his spot at World #7 after winning the 1010 4G Match Racing Hong Kong International, an ISAF Grade 2 regatta. In a dying breeze on the final day Tiller defeated World #4 Phil Robertson (NZL) in a single race final to claim the honours.
Maximillian Soh (SIN) missed out on the podium in Hong Kong, losing to World #1 Williams in the Petit Final. Soh was sailing at his first ISAF Grade 2 and will be buoyed by his result as he climbs from World #107 to World #77.
Peter Backe (SWE) won the ISAF Grade 3 1010 4G Match Racing Hong Kong Nationals in advance of the International event where he finished sixth. The result catapulted him from World #225 to World #143.
Sweden’s Viktor Ogeman claimed his spot for the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final set to be held in Middelfart, Denmark from 6-10 August by winning the European qualifier in Lelystad, the Netherlands.
Ogeman overcame Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) in a tricky semi-final before confidently breezing past Staffan Lindberg (FIN) 2-0 in the final.
By winning the ISAF Grade 2 regatta Ogeman has moved up to a personal best of World #28 and is looking forward to sailing at his first Grade 1 regatta, “We are looking forward to competing in our first grade 1 event, and the Nations Cup no less. We expect the level of competition to be very high.”
Click here for the Open Rankings.
Women’s Rankings
There were no Women’s ISAF Graded events in the current Rankings period however based on the ranking system minor shifts in position are evident in this month’s rankings.
A busy period of Women’s Match Racing is on the horizon with the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship taking place in Busan, Korea from 4-9 June 2013.
A competitive field that includes former 2005 World Champion Sally Barkow (USA) and London 2012 Women’s Match Racing Olympic Champion Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) will make the trip to Korea to stake their claim for the world title.
Two ISAF Nations Cup Regional Finals in Europe and Asia are scheduled ahead of the next Rankings release on 19 June as well as the ISAF Grade 1 St. Quay Women’s Match Racing event in France meaning that changes could be widespread in the next release.
Click here for the Women’s Rankings.
