Charline Picon and Sarah Steyaert in top form
Regulars since the start of the Games, Charline and Sarah confirmed their ease on this fourth day. The outsider duo regain first place in the rankings, and arrive with a good chance of a medal in the Medal race. But as in Rio 2016, the level is exceptional in this series, and the gaps are minimal. At least 5 crews can claim a place on the podium, which will be raced in very demanding conditions, leaving room for some nice tactical moves, as Sarah confirms:
"Tomorrow, we'll have to be together, get a good start and sail well. Just like every day. Above all, we'll have to be solid, because everyone will be stressed. After the first race this morning, I was upset, there was no way we were going to get off the podium. In the last race, it was incredible when I realized that all our direct rivals had cracked. We just held on."
It's over for Clément Pequin and Erwan Fisher in the 49er class
The reigning world champions, ranked 8 e at the start of the day, were scheduled to run three heats. Arriving too early at the line, they got off to a false start and finished in 20th place e of the round. Then finish 11 e on the second and final run. Not enough for the two Frenchmen, who finished in 13th place e and are excluded from the Medal Race. A hard situation to swallow for the pair, who congratulate their opponents:
"Yes, a lot of disappointment. It hurts a lot. All the crews who are at the Olympic Games are coming for a medal, but unfortunately it didn't work out for us. Conditions were very complicated for 4 days. I'd like to congratulate those who have medalled tonight, because we've never sailed in such unpredictable conditions. The road doesn't end here, and this doesn't call into question our work and all our preparation. We lacked success for four days. Yesterday we had three bad starts, which penalized us when all the other indicators were green. And this morning, in the first race, we "stole" the start. It was a real blow and we had a hard time getting back into it afterwards."
It's worth noting the very high standard of this series, and the minimal gaps between the crews, as no fewer than 7 duos can claim a place on the podium.
In iQFoil, a fine day for Hélène, Thomas will have to give it his all
In the iQFoil class, Hélène suffered an emotional elevator. Very well placed in the endurance round, it was cancelled by the committee just as the course was about to be completed. A heavy blow for the Sablaise sailor, but one who showed her steely resolve, despite breaking her foil in a collision with the Polish sailor.
Hélène finished the day one place higher, and is now in 4th place e of the overall ranking.
For Thomas, it's been a trickier day. He is now 14 e in the overall standings, and will have to fight hard for a place in the Medal Race on Friday, August 2.
