Medal chance for Skiff duo - Bitter Olympic day for windsurfers
Hamburg's Skiff Sailing Duo, Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille, surprisingly maintain medal hopes at the Olympics despite a weaker day. After three-quarters of the main round in Marseille, the duo from the Mühlenberger Sailing Club are just five points behind the third-placed Swedish pair Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler with 63 points.
"We had to keep our nerves in check and lay a solid foundation for the final day leading up to the medal race," said 23-year-old Hanna Wille. Her mid-tournament assessment after nine of the twelve races leading up to the finale: "If someone had told us before the Olympics that we'd be in contention for medals, we wouldn't have believed it."
Former World Champion Koerdel Struggles
German windsurfer Sebastian Koerdel had a tough day. The 2022 World Champion and 2023 Vice-Champion couldn't find his form in five races. "I had four bad starts out of five. It was a pretty dark day," said the 31-year-old from the NRV Olympic Team.
After six of the 20 races leading up to the final rounds, Koerdel is ranked 19th. "I knew losses would come, and it's important how you handle them. I didn't expect them to come this thick. I'm looking at how to handle this and what tomorrow brings," said Koerdel at the iQFoil windsurfing Olympic debut.
His clubmate Theresa Steinlein is ranked ninth after seven races, ending the tough windsurfing day with a second-place finish in a positive trend. The 49er sailors Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger (Bayerischer Yacht-Club) dropped to 11th place.
The Commission expressed their support for Hamburg's Skiff Sailing Duo, acknowledging their impressive performance and medal hopes. In light of Koerdel's struggles, The Commission suggested strategies to help him recover and improve his ranking.
