Molund Östling - Rio 2016

Unexpected news!
The World Championships in Argentina starts in a few days and it seems like we are still in the game. 😄

470 International Class Association

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE: 2016 470 World Championship Preview

18 February 2016
20-27 February 2016 - San Isidro, ARGENTINA

Club Nàutic S’Arenal
Mat Belcher/Will Ryan (AUS)
Taking place from 20-27 February 2016, the 2016 470 World Championships will be raced on the waters off Club Nautico in San Isidro, a province just north of Buenos Aires.

The provisional entry list for the 2016 470 World Championship counts one hundred and sixty-eight sailors from 25 nations covering the six continents of the world. There willbe no let-up, every second of every race counts as the pressure simply intensifies.

Whilst the biggest focus in 2016 is undoubtedly the Olympic Games, success at the 470 World Championships and securing a podium finish in this final countdown to Rio is equally key. Teams are drilling into their final weeks of training, maximising strengths and reducing weaknesses.

Racing a World Championships has a different pressure compared to the Olympics, but the quest for gold is no doubt tougher with more of the world’s top teams in contention in San Isidro than will be on the starting line in Rio. Teamwork and intelligence wins a 470 World Championship and the week ahead will be a masterclass of sailing skills.

The preceding South American Championship served as an ideal warm-up, with racing on the same waters as for the 470 Worlds. A well-run event, the South Americans served up a mix of challenging and enjoyable racing and proved the experience of the Race Committee.

In sailing you can’t control the environment, you can only control how you respond to it and amongst the best at that are the multiple and reigning World Champions, Mat Belcher/Will Ryan of Australia and Lara Vadlau/Jola Ogar from Austria. To win teams need superior talent across all wind and sea conditions, and both will be looking to assert their authority at this last 470 Worlds before the Olympics.

After registration and equipment inspection, the race programme features eleven fleet races and one medal race over six days of racing, from 22-27 February.

470 MEN
A bulletproof mindset, self-belief, mental toughness, precision manoeuvres will keep you ahead of your rivals. Skills defending World Champions, Mat Belcher/Will Ryan, have in abundance. So, no surprise to find them headlining the South American Championship warm-up event.

“It has helped us learn a little about the local conditions and also introduced us to the local ‘Camelotte’ plants which have been quite abundant these last week,” said Ryan. “It is special to win anything, but particularly to win the South American Championships for the first time with Mat! We are now looking forward to the Worlds.”

Behind the punishingly accurate partnership of Belcher/Ryan, there are numerous teams in contention, something Belcher is more than well aware of.

“There are simply too many teams to mention. We have always taken the view to focus on ourselves and try and get that right first. One of the things I love about 470’s is the depth in quality within the fleet. There are so many teams that given their day/week can take out this Championship. It’s going to be a tough week’s racing."

The hugely experienced world #2 partnership of Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic came close to unseating the Australians at the 2015 Worlds, going into the Medal Race just 1 point adrift, but couldn’t get themselves ahead around the track, settling for silver. The pair have stood on the podium at all but one World Championship in the past seven years – adding to their silver in 2015 with a silver in 2014, bronze in 2012, 2011, 2010 and gold in 2009.

Americans Stuart McNay/David Hughes are set to fly their nation’s flag in Rio, a third time Olympic appearance for McNay and debut for Hughes. On a roll and fresh from winning the USA Triple Crown Series in January 2016- with victories at the USA 470 Nationals, 470 North Americans and Sailing World Cup Miami - they are more than able to deliver. Add a win at the 2015 470 Europeans, and perhaps this year will be the time to pull a podium finish at a 470 Worlds.

The world #6 French partnership of Sofian Bouvet/Jeremie Mion are former Junior World and Junior European Champions in both 2009 and 2010. Familiar with the Olympic race track in Brazil, they finished 2nd at the 2015 Rio Test Event. They won the 2013 470 Europeans, but are yet to even get a sniff of the podium at a 470 Worlds, or even secure a top ten finish. Silver for them at the South Americans could just be the boost they need.

It is almost déjà vu for Greece’s Panagiotis Mantis/Pavlos Kagialis as they find themselves fighting their second Olympic campaign. The world #4 duo secured Greece’s slot at London 2012, but lost out on national selection by a whisker. They repeated the feat for Rio 2016, and again are in battle for selection against the same team that beat them last time around. But this quad, Mantis/Kagialis have the edge, not least in their confidence, with bronze medals from the 2014 and 2013 470 Worlds. For them the last selection event will be the 470 Europeans in April, and for now it is all about measuring up against the world’s best as they get ready for the battle of their lives come the Europeans.

Teams from Spain and Sweden are in the same boat metaphorically speaking. World #7 Onan Barreiros/Juan Curbelo Cabrera race off against Jordi Xammar/Joan H**p and Rayco Tabares/Alfredo Gonzalez for Spain’s national selection slot. Hard to forget witnessing the young pretenders Xammar/ H**p win the medal races at both the 2015 and 2014 470 Worlds. Four years after first ever competing at a 470 Worlds, do they now have the right mix of youth and experience to edge out the senior teams and carry the Spanish flag to Rio? Sweden’s world #11 team of Anton Dahlberg/Fredrik Bergström (SWE) and world #14 combo of Johan Molund/Sebastian Östling will also be chasing their own battle.

Giving the final world in the 470 men fleet preview to Will Ryan, it is important to never underestimate what an Olympic campaign means

“Approaching Rio it is quite daunting as it is something which I have been ultimately working torwards for such a long time. 6 months out I feel extremely fortunate that Mat and I as a team have now been nominated and have qualified for the Games, and that we can now focus to be able to put our best foot forward in August. I can only imagine what it is like to be an Olympian and to compete at the Olympics - and as you can imagine I am extremely looking forward to it!”

There is plenty of talent to make this World Championship far from over until the last second of the last race, and there is most distinctly an air of unfinished business ahead of Olympics.

Det blir inget OS!
Seglarförbundet har valt att nominera våra konkurrenter Anton och Fredrik till OS i Rio redan nu. Vi kan inte säga annat än att vi är besvikna. Med den säsongen vi haft såg vi det som självklart att kvalet skulle fortsätta in på vårkanten (VM i februari, EM i april) och där den med bäst medaljkapacitet då skulle få representera Sverige i 470 klassen. Efter åtta månader tillsammans är vi totalt sett nöjda med comebacken och där vi vid ett flertal tillfällen presterat på riktigt hög nivå trots kort startsträcka. Vi har varit ett grymt team och blivit vänner för livet, så även om vi nu inte kan nå vårt mål så är vi glada att vi gjorde ett försök.
Vi vill passa på att tacka för all support och peppning vi fått under året från alla runtomkring oss och via vår Facebooksida.
Ett extra stort tack till GKSS, Tenson, Alberto Garcia Villar och våra familjer, utan er hade denna satsning inte varit möjlig!!!

Seglare uttagna till OS

Vi slutade på en 4:e plats på världscupen i Abu Dhabi, helt ok men vi saknade det riktiga flytet i vår segling.
Nu blir det fysträning och lite vila från seglingsträningen innan det bär av till Rio i tre veckor (träning tävling).

5:e plats inför Medaljracet imorgon och pallplats är fullt möjligt att nå så vi behöver bara gasa.
Photo: Jesus Renedo/Sailing Energy

En okej dag med lite stolpe ut.
5:a totalt nu och tight poängmässigt. Imorgon återstår två race innan medaljracet på söndag.

Maxad dag!
En helt ok dag för oss med en 4:a och 5:a i dagens race.
Imorgon startar vi 09.30 (06.30 svensk tid).
Efter dagens seglingar bjöd ISAF in till desert safari och middag i öknen.
Photo: Jesus Renedo (Sailing Energy)

Idag möttes vi upp av kameler på klubben. Bra träning och lätta vindar igen.
Imorgon börjar regattan!

Lättvindsträning idag i Abu Dhabi.
Foto: Alberto Garcia Villar

Vi landade 06.45 imorse.
Större delen av dagen har gått åt till att göra allt klart inför morgondagens träningen. Då vi som de flesta andra kommer att hyra en båt så blir det till att försöka anpassa den så långt det går.
Båtleverantören har fått hjälpa till att flytta vissa beslag för att den skall bli så lik vår vanliga båt som möjligt.
Ca 35 grader så fokus på skugga.

En okej avslutning på ett motigt VM!
Vi slutar på en 20:e plats men vi hade naturligtvis hoppats på ett betydligt bättre resultat. Vårt mindset har varit alldeles för konservativt, i Haifa har en mer risktagande taktik varit en klar fördel.
Nästa tävling blir WC i Abu Dhabi.
Vi kommer igen!