The Australian iQFOiL and Formula Kite athletes took to the waters of Long Beach this week for a taste of the racing that awaits in just two years\u2019 time at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
After building a commanding 43-point lead over second-placed China\u2019s Kun Bi, Grae Morris entered the Finals Series ranked first overall. Advancing directly to the Grand Final, both Morris and Bi started with one race win already on the board, with the first sailor to claim two wins taking the Championship.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the cut-throat nature of the Finals Series saw Bi win the opening Grand Final race, with Morris crossing the line third. The result left the Australian with the silver medal, but also valuable experience at the future Olympic venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended up with a pretty decent lead coming into this day and knew it was going to be pretty hard to finish it off in this medal race, but I had fun and learned a lot,\u201d said Morris.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the future Olympic venue, he added, \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool, good environment, a few islands to tack around, a few tankers and there\u2019s a bit going on. You\u2019ve got to keep your eyes open and it\u2019s not going to be easy, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nineteen-year-old Rory Meehan also impressed in the highly competitive iQFOiL fleet. \u201cThe event went really well, a new personal best for me,\u201d said Meehan. \u201cTo be able to race with all the big dogs in the fleet was really good. We had all different conditions, sprint racing, course racing and the medal race, so I\u2019m really happy with my result.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meehan finished fifth in the Elimination Series to advance to the Quarter-Finals, where he placed third, narrowly missing progression to the Semi-Finals and finishing seventh overall. \u201cDidn\u2019t quite do as well as I would have wanted in the medal race as I got a bit caught up in the start, but I still had a great week and I\u2019m very happy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Breiana Whitehead also delivered a strong performance in the Formula Kite fleet, finishing seventh overall. After 16 races, Whitehead progressed to the Finals Series in sixth place. \u201cI had a good week of racing, although it feels much shorter than we\u2019re used to,\u201d said Whitehead. \u201cLots of close racing, mostly on our 15m kites and fully powered, which kept it fun and the legs working hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had some process goals for this week that I\u2019m really happy to have made progress on, so overall I\u2019m pleased with the racing, but there\u2019s still more work to do,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
In the men\u2019s Formula Kite fleet, Queensland\u2019s Oscar Timm finished 22nd overall. With valuable time on the water at the future Olympic venue forming a critical part of the campaign towards LA2028, the Australian athletes will remain in Long Beach for several more days to maximise training opportunities and continue building their knowledge of the racecourse.<\/p>\n
Next up is the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta in the Port of Los Angeles, with the ILCA 6, ILCA 7 and 470 fleets racing from 20\u201324 July, before the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 classes take to the course from 3\u20137 August.<\/p>\n
Full list of\u00a0results\u00a0can be found\u00a0here<\/a><\/p>\n Australian Sailing Team (AST),<\/a>Australian Sailing Squad (AS Squad)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0State Sailing Performance Program (SSPP)<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Team results\u00a0at the\u00a0Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta:\u00a0<\/p>\n iQFOiL \u2013 Men\u00a0(36\u00a0entries) \u00a0 Formula Kite\u00a0\u2013 Women\u00a0(24\u00a0entries)\u00a0 Formula Kite \u2013 Men\u00a0(36 entries)\u00a0 Follow the Australian Sailing Team\u00a0 \u00a0 Lisa Darmanin \u2013 Australian Sailing Team Communications & Brand Lead\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n About the Event<\/p>\n The Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta is organised by the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta Organising Committee in partnership with Long Beach Yacht Club and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. The event highlights Long Beach as one of the world\u2019s premier sailing destinations while preparing athletes, race officials, volunteers, and the community for the LA28 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n #AustralianSailing #LongBeach #OlympicSailing #Windsurfing #Kiteboarding<\/p>\n Interested in seeing more Racing News?\u00a0Click here<\/a><\/p>\n Want to see what we\u2019ve written about Australian Sailing lately?\u00a0Click here<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\tPost navigation<\/p>\n
2nd\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Grae Morris\u00a0(AST) \u00a0
7th\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Rory\u00a0Meehan\u00a0(AS Squad)<\/p>\n
7th\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Breiana Whitehead (AST)\u00a0<\/p>\n
22nd \u2013 Oscar Timm (SSPP)<\/p>\n
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