#OLYMPIC – In spite of a broken forestay that cost Peter O'Leary and David Burrows a 'Did Not Finish' result (DNF) in yesterday's race eight of Semaine Olympique Française, the Cork-Dublin duo are set for a Star keelboat medal race fight this morning on the French riviera.
The medal race line-up does not include the World Champions and Double Olympic medallist Robert Sheidt who only sailed three of a possible eight races this week.
Gear failure also beset this week's overall leaders Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson of Britain yesterday who broke a mast when mistral winds touched 40-knots. Only 12 of the 25 boat Star fleet managed to finish the race in the notoriously high wind venue.
O'Leary and Burrows, who are tipped for Olympic medal success later this Summer, will take consolation that it was their only rigging that broke and not their fragile mast. In the overall standings the Irish duo lie sixth in their 25-boat fleet, one place down from their mid-regatta position on Tuesday.
The Cork-Dublin pairing were expected to make this morning's medal race as a sign that they are on track to deliver in Weymouth.
More in the Irish Times Sailing Column this morning