Day 4 of the 2021 ILCA 6 World Championship delivers shifting winds and changing fortunes
Shifting winds on Day 4 of the 2021 ILCA 6 World Championships allowed a full day of racing but one full of surprises once again influenced by the wind. When the wind was up, it was light – perfect for the sailors – but the downwind played havoc with the sailors’ tactics and performances. Two races in both men’s and women’s categories were completed at Barceló Resort Mussanah as the leader board remains tight at the top.
The men’s leaderboard remains the same for the third day in a row with Oman’s Almoutasim Al Farsi maintaining his good form to stay out in front, finishing fourth and third, and keeping his six-point lead over Nik Pletikos of Slovenia. Pletikos recorded a third place and second place finish.
Abdul Malik Al Hinai of Oman remains in third position, closing the gap to second to just two points. Umut Eyriparmak was the day’s top performer, winning both races as he claws back the points dropped through yesterday’s retirement. He ends the day in fourth, just one point behind third place. Ali Al Saadi of Oman is once again in fifth position but is now ten points adrift of fourth.
The women’s category saw some major changes following the two races today. Agata Barwinska of Poland leapfrogged Julia Büsselberg to climb from third to first, leaving Büsselberg in second place for the second day in a row. Emma Plasschaert of Belgium moved up to third.
However, the day belonged to Cristina Pujol Bajo of Spain who rose through the rankings to end the day in fourth after winning one race and finishing fourth in another. Olympic Champion Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark sits in fifth with Viktorija Andrulyte of Lithuania a point behind having dropped from fourth to sixth today. Eleven points separate first and sixth, so it could all change again tomorrow.
Viktorija Andrulyte of Lithuania, said, “Today, as has become usual, we are waiting for the wind to pick up. The wind has been unstable all day, so we were able to start. Two races today. I didn’t start well but climbed up, even to first, but lost pace in the down while trying not to get a yellow flag. But I also made some mistakes. I also picked up a penalty for an incident, but I still tried my best to the very end and finished top 20. I am improving and not losing as much in the downwind, so I am really happy about that.”
Hannah Anderssohn of Germany, said, “The races were quite tough for me, I had a very difficult start. But slowly I am improving and going a bit better. In general, it is very difficult to get off the start line.”
Rosie Chapman, US Sailing coach, said, “It’s a big fleet, really awesome to see so many people make it to Oman. We have had a challenging start to the regatta and there hasn’t been a world championship for a couple of years but it is exciting to see the level of the fleet and how far it has come since the last regatta. Having had a delay on the Olympic Games, the girls coming straight from the Games are pretty busy for the next quad and there are some younger girls coming through and challenging everybody, so it’s really good to see that. The key names are here and the young girls are coming up and making a difference.”
Racing continues tomorrow with more races scheduled in each category. The event is supported by national carrier Oman Air, OQ and the Barceló Mussanah Resort as official partners, and Be’ah as environmental supporter. The National Mineral Water Company Salsabeel Water provided all essential water supplies for the event while the Royal Navy of Oman provided medical support throughout.
