PATTAYA, Thailand, December 18, 2023 – China is poised to sweep the 2023 Asian Sailing Championships awards table of five gold medals, and Hong Kong the final gold, all of which come with Asian-only tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games pending World Sailing certification. Hong Kong may be part of China since 1997 but it maintains its separate representation in the Olympic Games under the International Olympic Committee’s grandfather clause.
All eyes on Tuesday, however, are likely to be on the ILCA class medal races, the host nation holding its breath in anticipation with two of its sailors within reach of a second set of tickets to Paris 2024 exclusive to the fleet. In fact, four of the five Thais in the ILCA 6 and 7 medal races hail from the host venue, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand, adding to the suspense of the day.
In the ILCA 6 class, Thailand’s Sophia Montgomery is third overall with two Chinese ahead and one following her. Silver and bronze may go to any of them. China’s Min Gu is almost certain of gold with only 24 points after 10 races, but Chinese Olympian Dongshuang Zhang goes into the medal race with 40 points to Montgomery’s 42 and Hui Le’s 45. Indian Olympian Nethra Kumanan is in fifth with 54 points, followed by Montgomery’s younger sister Grace, new to the ILCA 6. Two other Olympians have made the medal race, which is limited to the top ten in any fleet, but their point spread is deemed too large for them to overcome.
In the ILCA 7, Hong Kong’s Nicholas Halliday’s lead is only four points ahead of Thailand’s Arthit Mikhail Romanyk, but he has finished in the top three of all but two races, making a slip up in the medal race unlikely. Romanyk has yet to win a race but has finished in the top five throughout the regatta. His nearest competitor for gold is Malaysian three-time Olympian Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy, who sits in third overall with 36 points to Romanyk’s 27. Bumped recently from the top three was Indian Olympian Vishnu Saravanan who is now tied in fourth with Thailand’s Chusitt Punjamala at 40 points. With double points at the medal rice, Romanyk would need to finish with at least two sailors between him and Halliday to take gold. Afendy’s chances at silver, and the much-coveted ticket to Paris 2024, would require Romanyk to finish in the bottom of the medal race fleet, another unlikely outcome.
In other fleets, the Chinese fill out the top four positions in the Nacra 17, Singaporeans unable to close the gap even for bronze although they performed admirably all week with six top five finishes.
In the 470, the Chinese are lined up for all three medals, but their hold on bronze is not certain. Malaysia, which is only two points behind the third-placed team, must beat them by at least two places to take bronze.
In the 49er and 49erFX, the Chinese have confirmed gold, but silver and bronze are up for grabs. In the 49er, one point separates an Indian team in second overall and a Chinese team in third. Thailand’s team is fourth overall but trails them by 14 points. In the eight-boat 49er FX fleet, gold will go to a Chinese team entering the medal race with only 23 points. Silver and bronze will be decided Tuesday with one Japanese team entering with 38 points, a Singaporean team with 39 points and a second Japanese team with 41 points.
For the Chinese, the suspense will be which province of the country wins going forward. In the medal races confirmed, they sail for their local district against their own, explained a coach.
The 2023 Asian Sailing Championship and Asian qualifier for Paris 2024 is organized by the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and the Royal Thai Navy, with the support of World Sailing and the Asian Sailing Federation. Sponsors include the Sports Authority of Thailand, Chonburi Province, and Pattaya City. The event is being staged at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand, which also hosted the ILCA Asian and Oceanian Championship and the ILCA Master Worlds Championships in the past year.
For results, see https://www.pattaya-olympic-qualifier.com/results/
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