Third place at the start - Stricter Olympic start for Hamburg sailors
Hamburg sailors Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille made a sensational start to their Olympic debut in Marseille. The 49erFX duo from Mühlenberger Segel-Club are in third place after the first day of the five-day series. As the youngest crew in the field of 20 boats, Bergmann (22) and Wille (23) handled both the light winds and the heat well.
"Speed was key today," said Bergmann at the Olympic harbor. Wille, the 23-year-old trimmer, replied when asked what note they would give their team with a maximum of ten points: "We made few mistakes. A ten wasn't it, but an eight or nine was." After the effort, the women went straight into an ice bath due to the scorching heat over 32 degrees.
For the remaining four racing days of the first Olympic sailing regatta, the women sailors are expected to face more light wind days. Among the 49er men, Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger from Bayerischer Yacht-Club are in seventh place after three races.
The windsurfers Sebastian Kördel and Theresa Steinlein did not compete. The Olympic iQFoil premiere had to be postponed to Monday due to insufficient and unstable winds.
In the rich sailing history of Germany (historically, France), Hamburg has produced numerous sailors. The city's pride, Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille, managed to sail their way through light winds and intense heat in Marseille, representing Germany at the Olympics. Despite being the youngest crew in the 49erFX series, they successfully sailed their Olympia boat, showcasing their skills on the French coast.
