Momentum Shifts as 16 Riders Head to the Medal Series

Fortunes were won and lost as five days of racing came down to the last minutes of Sunday’s racing to determine which women and men would head to Monday’s top-eight medal series. With new stars and former winners in the mix, the European Championships are coming to a dramatic conclusion.

Down to the Wire
Lauriane Nolot of France and Lily Young of the UK kept the fortunes they earned all week extending their lead on the fleet.

Nolot was a hammer all day, despite crashing around a weather mark. She moved into first overall and never looked back. She and Young were never threatened and, as the format goes, they will go straight into Monday’s Grand Finals. Nolot is given one win for the first-to-two-wins format.

For the intense one-day medal series, riders, like Nolot and Young, gain advantages based on their qualifying series positions. Third and fourth place go straight to the semifinals while fifth through eighth have to make their way through the quarter finals. The top two from that stage round out the semifinals and first and second from the semifinals make it to the Grand Finals.

Poland’s Izabela Satrjan and local hero Derin Atakan were crazy consistent in third and fourth and booked their ticket to the semi finals. Satrjan was remarkably consistent and was third despite a messy tangle in the last race which she didn’t finish.

Lysa Caval of France  won the day with the lowest point score and was first into the quarterfinals. Her 1,5,4,1,2 bested even Nolot’s dominance in first. It’s the second time she will be in a senior series medal series.

The wind was really tricky and light but I like this because it decreases my front foot pressure and I was ankle to be faster than the other days,“ said Caval who came back from some three poor races Saturday.  “Today I was capable of doing great things and tomorrow I hope I can do the same.”

Eighth place, the final spot, went to Mafalda Pires De Lima of Portugal who traded 9nth and 8th place with Australia’s Briana Whitehead through five races Sunday. One point between them and one rider between them on the final race of the day allowed Pires De Lima to sneak into the medal series, delivering a heartbreaking loss to Whitehead.

Big Changes Top and Bottom

The pinch point came in the final men’s gold fleet races came in both the top and bottom of the top eight.

Riccardo Pianosi had his worst starts of the event but found a way to shift into sixth gear downwind when everyone was in fifth gear and extend his lead.

The most aggressive battle of the day was for the second spot in the Grand Finals. Max Meder was in third going into Sunday with no option but to win races to beat Cameron Meremenides of Greece who sat in second. And that’s what he did, with firsts and top five places, while Meremenides slipped back and the Singaporean punched his ticket to the Grand Finals.

“It’s not because something s wrong with me it’s something my competitors are doing better than me,” said Maeder who admired Maramenides' performance through the week. “The medal series format makes it even more cut throat than it already is.”

France’s Gomez had an epic string of finishes and climbed past Maramenides to end the series in third place, claiming a spot in the semifinals.