Morris Forced to Wait for Medal Moment

Twenty-year-old Grae Morris has been forced to wait another day for his Olympic Medal Moment, with a dying breeze forcing the postponement of the Men’s Windsurfer Medal Series until tomorrow.

The Race Committee had their hand forced after the wind dropped to five knots as the sailors were getting ready to go out to race.

“Grae is keen to get out there and continue what he has been doing so well all week,” noted Australian Sailing Team Leader Iain Brambell who had spent the day with Morris.

“The race may have been delayed, but it hasn’t in any way affected Grae. He is here to do the job, and both Grae and (coach) Arthur (Brett) know there is work to do tomorrow.”

There was plenty of action in the morning before the wind died out, including the Women’s Skiff Medal Race where NSWIS athletes Oliva Price and Evie Haseldine finished ninth which didn’t change their position coming into the day.

“We achieved a whole lot more than people probably thought we could and again I wouldn’t have done it any other way with anyone other than Evie (Haseldine) & (coach) Victor (Paya),” said Price after racing.

The 2023 World Championships bronze medallists are lifelong friends but only started sailing together in late 2021.

“My dream to go to the Olympics and do what we’ve done, it almost feels like we’ve won a medal, because the feat of just getting here was one in itself,” added Haseldine.

Fellow NSWIS athletes Jim Colley and Shaun Connor finished 15th in the men’s skiff.

Tokyo 2020 ILCA 7 gold medallist Matt Wearn will be back in familiar colours tomorrow after a race win and an eighteenth from today’s two races will see him race in the leader’s yellow bib.

“Our first race today was quite normal with a bit of a left-hand track, but the second race threw in a righty on the first beat which mixed things up,” said Wearn of the conditions.

Zoe Thomson was comfortably in the top ten of her third race of the day when the race was called off, which would have been the perfect bounce-back from two higher scores earlier in the day.

Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas commenced their Mixed Dinghy campaign today, and after a promising sixth in the first race they were U-Flagged (disqualified for a premature start) in their second race.

Their skipper Nia Jerwood stayed positive after racing.

“Obviously a little error on the starting but we were we were up in front of the fleet most of the day and fighting hard”.

After six days of lighter breezes a Mistral is expected to arrive tomorrow, which will be music to the ears of sailors and the Race Committee alike. The schedule will include the three Dinghy classes continuing their qualifying series, the Mixed Multihull commencing theirs and of course the Men’s Windsurfer Final and Grae Morris’ shot at Olympic glory.

Paris 2024 Olympic Regatta standings

Men’s Windsurfer (24 entries)
1^st: Grae Morris (AUS) (13), (25 DNS), 10, 9, 1, 7, 2, 1, 9, 2, 4, 7, 8 – 60 pts

2^nd: Tom Reuveny (ISR) 8, 13, 5, 3, 3, 4, (25 BFD), 3, 5, 13, (15), 4, 2 – 63 pts3^rd: Josh Armit (NZ) 4, (18), 1, 14, 8, (25 UFD), 11, 2, 6, 4, 2, 3, 11 – 66 pts

Men’s Dinghy (43 entries)
1^st: Matt Wearn (AUS) 12, 2, 1, (18) – 15 points 

2^nd: Filip Jurisic (CRO) 13, 4, (32), 1 – 18 points

3^rd: Stefano Peschiera (PER) 6, 1, (14), 11 – 18 points

Women’s Skiff (20 entries) – Complete
1^st: Odile Van Aanholt & Annette Duetz (NED) 5, 1, 1, 10, 8, 5, (19), 3, 2, 15, 4, 14, 6 MR – 74 points

2^nd: Vilma Bobeck & Rebecca Netzler (SWE) 14, 6, 15, 4, 15, 10, 2, 1, 5, 1, 1, (17), 2 MR – 76 pts
3^rd: Sarah Steyaert & Charline Picon (FRA) 2, 2, 2, 8, 2, 2, 12, 11, 10, (18), 6, 10, 12 MR – 79 pts

9^th: Olivia Price & Evie Haseldine (AUS) 6, 8, 16, 7, 11, 3, (20), 10, 9, 10, 10, 12, 18 MR – 120 pts

Women’s Dinghy (43 entries)
1^st: Marit Bouwmeester (NED) (4), 1, 2 – 3 points

2^nd: Louise Cervera (FRA) 1, (24), 4 – 5 points

3^rd: Monika Mikkola (FIN) (18), 2, 5 – 7 points
23^rd: Zoe Thomson (AUS) 12, (37), 22 – 34 points

Mixed Dinghy (19 entries)
1^st: Keiju Okada & Miho Yoshioka (JPN) 1, 2 – 3 points

2^nd: Jordi Xammar Hernandez & Nora Brugman Cabot (ESP) 5, 6 – 11 points

3^rd: Simon Diesch & Anna Markfort (GER) – 12 points
17^th: Nia Jerwood & Conor Nicholas (AUS) 6, 20 UFD – 26 points

Men’s Skiff (20 entries) – Complete
1^st: Diego Botin Le Chever & Florian Trittel Paul (ESP) (16), 6, 4, 5, 11, 2, 3, 2, 2, 15, 12, 6, 2 MR – 70 pts

2^nd: Isaac Kale McHardie & William McKenzie (NZL) 1, 3, 8, 8, 1, 1, 11, (18), 17, 1, 10, 15, 6 MR – 82 pts
3^rd: Ian Barrows & Hans Henken (USA) 8, 7, (17), 9, 9, 5, 10, 7, 3, 2, 8, 12, 8 MR – 88 points

15^th: Jim Colley & Shaun Connor (AUS) 19, 17, 10, 14, 10, 9, 12, 3, 10, 3, 16, (20) – 123 pts

Article courtesy of Sailing Australia