Scheidt e Fontes dividem liderança no primeiro dia do Brasileiro de Laser

Fonte: GLOBOESPORTE.COM

De volta à Laser, Robert Scheidt deu o primeiro passo rumo ao 12º título nacional da classe. Neste sábado, o bicampeão olímpico (Atlanta 1996 e Atenas 2004) liderou o primeiro dia do Brasileiro, em Porto Alegre. Tem, no entanto, um duro adversário a seu lado: divide a liderança com Bruno Fontes. E Bruno, no critério de desempate, leva vantagem.

Scheidt conseguiu uma vitória suada na primeira regata, superando Bruno na última perna. Na segunda, Bruno liderou de ponta a ponta. O Brasileiro termina neste domingo, com mais duas regatas.
Robert Scheidt e Bruno Fontes: disputa acirrada no Brasileiro de Laser (Foto: Divulgação / Veleiros do Sul)

- A disputa foi bem intensa e acredito que será assim daqui pra frente. Todos velejaram muito bem. O nível da classe Laser é muito alto e vários atletas podem chegar bem - disse Bruno, que representou o Brasil nas Olimpíadas de Londres 2012.

Scheidt, que mudou de classe em setembro, tem no currículo da Laser duas medalhas olímpicas de ouro, uma de prata (Sydney 2000), oito títulos mundiais e 11 campeonatos brasileiros entre 1992 e 2005, sendo os oito últimos consecutivos. Velejou oito anos ao lado de Bruno Prada na Star e conquistou três campeonatos mundiais e duas medalhas olímpicas - prata em Pequim 2008 e bronze em Londres 2012.

- Tive uma boa disputa com o Bruno Fontes. Eu venci a primeira regata, por muito pouco, e ele acabou vencendo a segunda, também por muito pouco. Ou seja, as duas disputas foram decididas em pequenos detalhes. Senti que, no vento mais forte, nossos barcos têm uma velocidade superior à do restante da flotilha. E o Bruno, nessas condições, é um dos velejadores mais rápido do Brasil - disse Scheidt.

Resultados - após duas regatas:

1- Bruno Fontes - 3 pontos perdidos (2+1) - e Robert Scheidt - 3 pp (1+2)
3- Matheus Dellagnelo - 7 pp (4+3)
4- André Streppel - 11 pp (3+8)
5- Yago Lange (ARG) - 11 pp (6+5)

Ben Ainslie fora dos Jogos 2016

Fonte: http://www.telegraph.co.uk


Ben Ainslie: It's painful to say, but my Olympic odyssey is over - I won't be sailing at Rio 2016

Ben Ainslie: It fills me with both relief and sadness to write these words but I can now officially confirm that I have donned my Team GB tracksuit for the last time.

High water mark: Ben Ainslie celebrates winning gold at his home Olympics Photo: GETTY IMAGES


No more Olympic villages. No more opening or closing ceremonies. After almost 20 years entirely dedicated to the pursuit of gold, taking in five Olympic campaigns, I have decided I will not attempt a sixth at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.


Those of you who saw me cross the finish line in the Finn medal race in Weymouth and Portland earlier this year may not be overly surprised to hear that. I said a few things in the heat of the moment to the lurking BBC media boat to the effect that the toll on my body was becoming too great. In my defence I was flooded with emotion and exhausted from the toughest week of my entire career.


It was a bit of a Steve ‘if you ever see me anywhere near a boat again, you have my permission to shoot me’ Redgrave moment.


In my mind I certainly hadn’t ruled out another crack at the Olympics. When you have spent your whole life focused so intently on something it is not that easy to let it go.


The reason I waited before making this decision is down to a couple of factors. Firstly, I wanted to see what came out of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) conference in Dublin a few weeks ago. In particular I was interested to know which classes would be on the Olympic programme at Rio. Because of the wear and tear of a lifetime spent sailing, particularly on my back, which was a real issue this summer, it was always going to be an uphill struggle to do the Finn again in Brazil. However, if the Star two-handed dinghy had been reinstated I might just have considered giving that a go. It would not have been easy dislodging Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, should they have decided to do another campaign, but there might have been a chance.

Kites to compete at the King's Cup

Fonte: www.thedailysail.com

ISAF has decided to include kiteboarding course racing as an evaluation sport for the Rio 2016 Olympics. As a result this year, the 25th Phuket King's Cup Regatta, the largest sailing event in Asia, will include a kiteboarding division, which will be run with the cooperation of Kiteboard Tour Asia.

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organising Committee said: "We're delighted to welcome the kiteboarders. We are broadening the Regatta, and we hope this new element will have very strong appeal to kiteboarding enthusiasts and a younger sailing audience"

Willy Kerr is the Phuket based KTA Tour Director, who added: "This year's Phuket King's Cup Regatta will feature a kiteboarding division. It's a historic step for Asian sailing but quite a logical one as the sport has a strong following in Thailand with Hua Hin playing host to the Kiteboarding World Tour for the last two seasons and Pranburi being the Thailand stop on Kiteboard Tour Asia.

"The KTA is an ISAF-sanctioned continental tour. The current KTA champion is Thai sailor Narapichit ‘Yo' Pudla, twice Asian champion in freestyle and course racing and in the Philippines last year he was close behind the World Champion, so we are expecting great things of him in the future.

"We have been inundated with people wanting to join. We did invite 20 of the top riders to come and join the Phuket King's Cup event this year but next year I probably see it being an Open division.

"Among this year's sailors we have Aya Oshima, two-time Asia Freestyle/ Race Champion and two-time Japanese Freestyle Champion and Ken Nacor who is the Philippines Champion and Asia number 2. Beijing Olympics windsurfing Silver medalist Ho Chi Ho will be competing, as will Turkish KTA Champion and Turkish Freestyle Champion Taner Aykurt and Kathryn Bogwardt, the 2010 and 2011 KTA Ladies Champion.

"We really need eight knots to race. We will launch from the beach and ride out and we're aiming for three races per day. We have a 45 minute time limit on our races which are very similar in format to traditional sailing, but there are some important differences."



Neil Godbold, KTA founding Director and head of training explained: "Kiteboarders follow the same overall sailing rules. However, the kite adds a third dimension. We have a set of rules for when an upwind kite and a downwind kite are passing each other and if boats are on closing tacks. Basically it is upwind- kite up, downwind- kite down.

"It sounds easy when you say it but when there are 50 or 60 people around you on the start line starting on different tacks, then it becomes interesting. The distance of the kite from the board can vary; in strong winds as little as 27 metres, in soft conditions up to 40 metres.

"Some sailors are trying to run along the start line with their kite high because they are trying not to cross the line early and sailors who are on timed runs and coming from the back (of the fleet) will have their kites low. As the start flag goes those from the back will come charging through, the guys in the front row will be trying to drop their kites down to power up quicker than those behind them. If everyone is on starboard tack off the line its fine, but port tack starters have to deal with the priority rule on the water surface and the priority rules with the kites at the same time.

"The Phuket King's Cup will be one of the first major regattas with a kite board class. For us to be competing for King's Cup awards is very exciting."

Willy Kerr summed up saying: "The King's Cup organising committee is certainly proving to be forward looking. Up the track at Olympic level, there is a big opportunity for lightweight Asian sailors. Our Kite Board Tour Asia events are open to Europeans also, so we have found in the light wind spots the Asians are finishing on top quite a lot. Their lightness, their small bodies and agility - it really does help. They have an advantage there and just as has been happening in windsurfing, we expect to see Asian kiteboarders winning Olympic medals in the future."

Speaking for the kiteboarders Narapichit ‘Yo' Pudla said this afternoon: "We are all pretty excited. Its great to be here at the Phuket King's Cup with all the other sailors from around the world and we are looking forward to a great event."