Israel deny China triple gold after Pianosi virtuoso in the Kite

The four Medal Series Finals for iQFOiL and Formula Kite unfolded in a light but, crucially, stable south-easterly wind of 6-7 knots for the first time this week. For some of the pack who had been chasing standout leaders it presented a golden opportunity to unseat those who had been leading, sometimes all week in bigger winds. In the men’s events, Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi in the men’s Kite, followed by China’s Kun Bi in the men’s iQFOiL windsurfing, took their chance; in the women’s China’s Wan Li in the women’s Kite and Tamar Steinberg in the women’s iQFOiL held on, just.

The other six Olympic fleets – 470, ILCA 6 & 7, Nacra 17, 49er, and FX – have their Medal Races tomorrow – Saturday – in what are forecast to be more easterly, but similarly light breeze. Barring an overnight protest and penalty in the 470 mixed dinghy, Germany’s Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort are uncatchable with a 21-point lead and Nicholas Halliday the same in the ILCA 7 with a 23-point lead.

Formula Kite (men’s and women’s kite)

Women

1st – Wan Li (CHN)
2nd – Jingyue Chen (CHN)
3rd – Lauriane Nolot (FRA)

A closely fought week deserved a closely fought final series and it got one, with drama in the Grand Final as China’s Wan Li won the third race of the Grand Final to take gold. Li has now won both rounds of the new five-regatta Sailing Grand Slam.

France’s local favourite, Lauriane Nolot, back in competitive action for the first time since her silver medal in Paris 2024, faced the three Chinese boards after battling through the semi-finals. As the top board, Li carried forward a point, into the Grand Final with two needed for victory, but her compatriot, Jingyue Chen, who had been third overall in the qualifying and then won the semi-final, won the first race. There was more excitement in the second race as Nolot won, before Li bounced back and won the third race to take gold. Chen was third ahead of Nolot in fourth in that race to secure silver. Only the fourth board, China’s Si Wang, did not win a race.

Men

1st – Riccardo Pianosi (ITA)
2nd – Max Maeder (SGP)
3rd – Gian Stragiotti (SUI)

Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi enjoyed the light winds to upset the order of the week and win both races in the Grand Final to take gold. Singapore’s Max Maeder, the 18-year-old double world champion, the winner of SOF 2022 at the age of 15 and a bronze medalist at Paris 2024, had swept the first round of the Sailing Grand Slam earlier this month and if not quite so dominant here in topping the qualifying, was still a class apart. Maeder started the Grand Final with one point needing just one win for victory, but Pianosi, 20, produced a virtuoso performance. Switzerland’s 17-year-old Gian Stragiotti was also well pleased with his day’s work after coming through the semi-finals and finishing second in the second Grand Final race to secure the bronze medal.

iQFOiL (men’s & women’s windsurfing)

Women

1st – Tamar Steinberg (ISR)
2nd – Zheng Yang (CHN)
3rd – Sharon Kantor (ISR)

Tamar Steinberg, the dominant boarder all week in this dominant Israel women’s windsurfing team, won the second Grand Final race to seal gold after she had pumped herself out of the first race to let China’s Zheng Yang in with a chance. But she bounced back strongly to win the second. Israel’s Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, Sharon Kantor was second in the second final race to take bronze. Israel finished, as they had spent the week, with five of the top seven.

Steinberg and the Israel team were not at the first round of the Sailing Grand Slam, but it was a second silver medal for Yang.

Men

1st – Kun Bi (CHN)
2nd – Grae Morris (AUS)
3rd – Louis Pignolet (FRA)

As earlier in the men’s windsurfing, China’s Kun Bi took full advantage of the light winds to overcome the dominant force of the week – and month – Australia’s Grae Morris. The result throws open the Sailing Grand Slam, after Morris won the first round. Bi had only managed tenth place.

Morris, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, had been the standout sailor of the week in bigger conditions, but Bi showed pumping power and patience to win both races. Bi had to come from behind to win the second raced and France’s Louis Pignolet was second in both to take bronze.

The other six Olympic fleets will have the Medal Races tomorrow (Saturday).

470 (mixed double-handed dinghy)

1st – Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort – 31 pts
2nd – Jordi Xammar Hernández & Marta Cardona Alcántara – 52
3rd – Giacomo Ferrari & Alessandra Dubbini – 57

Despite some bigger numbers in the light airs, Germany’s Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort have mathematically secured the gold medal before the Medal Race tomorrow with a lead of 21 points over Spain’s Jordi Xammar Hernández & Marta Cardona Alcántara.

Diesch & Markfort were 25th in the first race but were keeping half an eye on their closest rivals, the Spanish, who were 18th. It was a discard for both. And the Germans were ninth, one place ahead of the Spanish in the second race.

ILCA 6 and 7 – (women’s & men’s solo dinghy)

ILCA 6

1st – Charlotte Rose (USA) – 25 pts
2nd – Chiara Beninin Floriani (ITA) – 26
3rd – Emma Plasschaert (BEL) – 34

Only one race was possible for the ILCA 6 as the wind dropped and it was a brutal one for all the lead group, but where they could discard, Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert, with a disqualification earlier in the week could not.

USA’s Charlotte Rose leads Italy’s Chiara Beninin Floriani by just a point in shootout for gold at the top, but Plasschaert, eight points back will still be in the hunt. As will Denmark’s Anna Munch, just a point behind Plasschaert in fourth.

ILCA 7

1st – Nicholas Halliday (HKG) – 40 pts
2nd – Duko Bos (NED) – 63
3rd – Thomas Saunders (NZL) – 65

Hong Kong, China’s Nicholas Halliday capped one of his best ever regattas by taking third place in the only race of the day in fading afternoon airs, as his rivals fell away to guarantee him gold tomorrow in the Medal Race. Thomas Saunders won the race to leap into third and just two points behind Netherland’s Duko Bos, who struggled home in 24th. Three more boats behind have a chance of catching them.

Nacra 17 (mixed double-handed catamaran)

1st – John Gimson & Anna Burnett (GBR) – 43 pts
2nd – Gianluigi Ugolini & Maria Giubilei (ITA) – 50
3rd – Brin Liddell & Rhiannan Brown (AUS) – 54

Like the ILCAs the Nacra could only get in one race in the dying wind but it was enough to extend their lead to seven points over the Italians, who will need to put four boats between them in the Medal Race to take gold. They will have to look over their shoulders too with three boats close behind. The Australians are just four points behind with the next two on equal points two points further back.

49er and 49erFX (men’s and women’s double-handed skiff)

Women’s FX

1st – Isaura Maenhaut & Anouk Geerts (BEL) – 131 pts
2nd – Lara Granier & Amélie Riou (FRA) – 144
3rd – Georgia Lewin-France & Antonia Lewin-France (CAN) – 146

After winning the third and final race of the day as their rivals faltered, Belgium’s Isaura Maenhaut & Anouk Geerts, will feel they have one hand on the gold medal. They are 13 points ahead of French, who until they finished 25th in that third race had been leading. The women’s skiff has been even bigger scoring and violently swinging than the men’s, so rule nothing out.

But the French will now need to put seven boats between them and Belgium duo, in a 10-boat final, to win gold. More likely is a three-way battle for silver and bronze with the Canadian Lewin-France sisters, two points behind and USA’s Paris Henken & Helena Scutt, one point behind in fourth.

Men’s 49er

1st – Hernando Umpierre & Fernando Diz (URU) – 88 pts
2nd – Nevin Snow & Ian MacDiarmid (USA) – 91
3rd – Richard Schultheis & Fabian Rieger (GER) – 100

A week of high scores in the men’s skiff continued in the light airs yesterday as the leaderboard swung around. Uruguay’s duo of Hernando Umpierre and Fernando Diz have re-taken the lead but 14th place in the last of the day’s four races means they go into the Medal Race with a lead of just three points over the USA duo of Nevin Snow & Ian MacDiarmid, who finished third in that last race to stay in second overall. Germany’s Richard Schultheis & Fabian Rieger jumped into third place by winning the last race but are nine points behind USA, so will need to put five boats between them to take silver. They will also have to look over their shoulders because despite a tough day, Britain’s leaders going into today, James Grummett and Rhos Hawes, are only six points off bronze.

Text and images courtesy of FFVoile/SailingEnergy.