Closing Stages

The sailing competition on Doha Bay for the 15th Asian Games is moving into its final stages, pitching Singapore and Japan into a tussle for the lead in four events while Hong Kong/China and China will battle across the three boardsailing events.

It was another gruelling day with the race committee scheduling the maximum three races per event to enable them to catch up on postponed events from the early days with no wind.

 

As scheduled, there is no competition today, December 9, as it is a reserve day. Sailors will take a much-needed rest after most events completed three races today in a moderate wind and rain.

 

Singapore duo Sarah TAN and Tze TING LIM are destined for gold in the women’s 420 class, winning every race so far. They would have to make some serious mistakes to be toppled. Japan‘s Yumi TAKAHASHI and Kae TSUGAYA will need to work particularly hard in the next few races to close the seven-point gap, though they look set for silver.

 

In the men’s 420 class, the field is tighter and Japan‘s Shibuki IITSUKA and Shingen FURUYA must reclaim their early form – they placed first in races three, four and five – if they want to move into the gold medal position. They have a three-point gap to close on Justin LIU and Shermon CHENG of Singapore, but Japanese were over the line at the start in the sixth race, as were three others.

 

Japanese duo Ali KONDO and Naoko KAMATA have the edge in the women’s 470 event. Singapore‘s Liying TOH and Elizabeth TAN and China‘s Yu CHUYNYAN and Wen YIMEI have a nine-point lead to close, but also have to fight each other for the silver and bronze. Myanmar‘s Chit SU and Nwe Nwe SAN look to be out of contention in fourth.

 

In the men’s 470 event the competition is tense with India’s Farokh TARAPORE and Vilas KAPILA; Japan’s Kan YAMADA and Kenichi NAKAMURA; and the Philippines’ Ridgley BALLADARES and Rommel CHAVEZ all tied in third place behind Xu YUAN and Terence KOH pf Singapore. Kim DAEYOUNG and Jung SUNGAHN of Korea have a mere one-point lead over the chasing fleet and this will be one class to watch when race 9 starts on Sunday, 10 December.

 

After the disputed start to the men’s single person event in the Laser, Maximilian SOH of Singapore will try to hold on to his three-point lead over Japan‘s Yoichi IIJIMA. With defending Asian Games medallists Kim HOKON of Korea and Kevin LIM of Malaysia breathing down their necks, competition is particularly fierce in this class and the field is still wide open with three races left.

 

IIJIMA had this to say to reporters after the sailing, ‘Well I am not happy today, I came in sixth in race 9. Day after tomorrow (Sunday) I must try to be up again, I must win the gold medal for my girlfriend, my mother, my father and most of all for my country.

 

‘My start today wasn’t good. I didn’t have the aggressive start that I mostly do, I think that is why I came in sixth in race 9, but I’ll try to do better. The wind was no problem, but my tactics today were not good. I’ll try and improve them for the next race.”

 

The unpredictable conditions and stronger wind has brought some changes to the leaders in the boardsailing events sailed on the Mistral. Hong Kong/China look to be losing their grip on the lead.

 

Chan KING YIN from Hong Kong/China, in the men’s Mistral light weight division, is certain for gold with an uncompromising hold on first place. Winning all seven races so far, he holds a four-point lead. But compatriot Chan WAI KEI had two seconds today and is now equal first overall with China‘s Chen LINA, who took the two firsts in the women’s class.

 

Yao XINHAO, China, has taken the lead in the men’s Mistral heavyweight division.

 

The reigning Laser Radial World Champion Lijia XU of China climbed her way back into first place overall after a solid performance of two firsts and a second today. The stronger winds helped place her in gold medal contention. Malaysia‘s Mohd Romzi MUHAMAD is still only one point behind XU after finishing with two second places and one fourth, but XUhas overtaken him today.

 

Colin CHENG of Singapore has opened up a two-point lead over Qatar‘s Waleed AL SHARSHANI in the open Laser 4.7 with a first, second and a sixth today; however, AL SHARSAHNI is still looking strong, with two second place finishes and one fifth.

 

China’s Ni WEI finished day four of competition looking very strong at the top of the boy’s Optimist fleet after winning two of the three races to open up a solid nine-point lead over Thailand’s Navee THAMSOONTORN.

 

In the girl’s Optimist, Asian Championships gold medallist Rufina TAN from Malaysia has opened up a useful six-point lead over her competition after powering through the waves and winds to finish with two firsts and a third. Japan’s Haruka KOMIYA is second overall, but was another to be over the start line for the first race of today’s competition and thus received the maximum points (11 points), bringing her total to 20, six behind TAN. TAN’s expected rivalry with Griselda KHNG from Singapore hasn’t arisen in this competition, KHNG being surprisingly inconsistent. In the stronger winds, 10 year-old Alaa SHOUDY of Qatar didn’t compete.

 

After nine races, in the Hobie 16 catamaran, Thailand’s brothers Damrongsak and Sakda VONGTIM holding on to their four-point overall lead with a first and two seconds today in the stronger winds that the heavy boats prefer.

 

Singapore have lost their early lead in the open match racing, and are now equal with India and Korea on seven points though Korea have sailed 10 races to the other two’s nine. Singapore and India have a 7-2 record while Korea have 7-3. Home nation Qatar have slipped to seventh overall with a 2-8 record from 10 races. Hapless Kuwait are 0-10 at the foot of the table.

 

Yoon CHEN, skipper of the Korean boat had this to say about the opposition after the racing, “India are pretty good and so are Singapore. We are a strong team and have equal points with both of these teams. They are equally strong and we surely hope to emerge as the winners. This is our second time at any of the Asian Games and we sure want to go home as winners.’