Irish 420 Boys Chase Youth Sailing Medal in Final Race Showdown

2nd January 2016

Irish 420 dinghy sailors Douglas Elmes and Colin O'Sullivan are in the medal hunt at the World Youth Championships Credit: ISAF

Counting two more top ten results, a seven and four, Irish 420 dinghy sailors Douglas Elmes and Colin O'Sullivan of Howth Yacht Club are on equal points with Brazil in the chase for bronze as the World Youth Sailing Championships in Malaysia prepares to enter its last day tomorrrow. SEE UPDATE HERE

The tantalising prospect of Ireland's first double handed youth medal in 19 years will go right down to the wire in tomorrow's final race.

But despite the level pegging, Leonardo Lombardi and Rodrigo Luz count two race wins in the eight races sailed so far compared to Ireland's single race victory, giving the Brazilians a scoreboard advantage and putting them in third overall and Ireland fourth.

USA crew, Will Logue and Bram Brakman, held the lead comfortably on 16 points to take godl with a race to spare. Australia's Alec Brodie Xavier and Winston Smith move to second overall to 31 points.

Logue and Brakman secured the gold with consistent racing and a better day on the Langkawi water than their rivals.

The USA pair took a fourth in the first race of the day and then broke their duck with a bullet in the next race. Their high finishes throughout the regatta means that their score of 16 points can not be bettered by Australia, Brazil or Ireland. Instead the three have to fight it out for silver and bronze.

Australia's Alec Brodie and Xavier Winston Smith currently hold second place on 31 points when they finished the day with a sixth and a discarded 14th.

Both Leonardo Lombardi and Rodrigo Luz (BRA) and Douglas Elmes and Colin O'Sullivan (IRE) are on 35 points. The Brazilians had a seventh and a discarded 11th on the day and the Irish pair had a fourth and seventh.

Italy's Edoardo Ferraro and Francesco Orlando took the other bullet of the day and are eighth overall on 61 points.

Great stuff Doug and Colin - 4th overall in their 420 and in sight of medals with one final race to be sailed tomorrow...
Posted by Howth Yacht Club on Saturday, 2 January 2016

The wind died on the Langkawi course during the day as per the forecast so competitors were lucky to complete two races.

In the Laser girls division, Aisling Keller of Lough Derg Yacht Club took a fourth in race seven and 12th in race eight to move inside the top ten and currently lies a highly creditable ninth overall.

Results were not as good for Liam Glynn in the boys Laser. The Ballyholme sailor scored a 42 and 32 and drops to 18th.

See results here

Read more about the Irish 420 challenge in Friday's Irish Times newspaper here

Published in Youth Sailing

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