Storm cells and shifts made for an interesting day on the Bay of Marseille for the Women’s Dinghy (ILCA 6) medal race. After delays on shore due to lack of wind, a storm cell brought 12-15 knots for long enough to complete the final ILCA 6 race of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) entered the medal race in 9th overall and out of contention for a medal, but gave it her all in her final race of her first Olympic Games. Reineke started her medal race with a competitive start at the pin end of the line, heading left before tacking in the bottom third of the beat. She rounded the windward mark in third, but was forced to spin on the first downwind leg after being flagged for Rule 42. Making a valiant effort, Reineke was able to gain some positions, finishing the race in sixth.
“It’s awesome to come away in the top ten at my first Olympic Games,” said Reineke. “I wish some of the racing at the end went a little more in my favor to have had a chance at the bronze, but that’s part of sport sometimes. You put your heart and soul into something and you have to be prepared for when it doesn’t go your way.”
“Overall, I’m extremely proud of this experience and my result,” she continued. “I’m really grateful for the team behind me and the people at home supporting me and everyone across the US who was watching the American flag on the water this week.”
Kite caddies had a busy day on the beach preparing new equipment as athletes made two kite changes before racing even began for their fourth day of competition. Athletes are allowed to register up to four kite sizes to use in various wind conditions, with larger kites for lighter wind and smaller kites for heavier wind. The fleet left the beach on large kites, quickly swapped in for smaller kites, and went back to large as the wind lightened yet again.
USA’s Markus Edegran (Ossining, NY) was first up to race in the Men’s Kite fleet and was holding down 3rd in Race 8 before the race committee abandoned the race and sent athletes back to shore in dying breeze.
“I was hoping to move up some spots today with more races, but I’m happy to advance the medal series,” said Edegran. “Making the medal series was one of my main goals at this Games, so I’ll start in 9th tomorrow and see if I can climb a few more places.”
“You’ve got to win races to move forward so it rewards risk taking and close-quarters racing,” continued Edegran. “Those kinds of conditions suit me well so I’ll definitely be giving some people a hard time tomorrow.”
“We’ve had so few races in this regatta because of the light wind, which has rarely happened in my time in this sport,” said Daniela Moroz, who has been kiting for 12 years, since age 11. “With only a handful of scores on the board, consistent low scores have been crucial to be able to advance to Finals. While I’m not in the exact position I was hoping for at this stage, I’m in the top spot of the Semis and am going to go out tomorrow and do what I know how to do – win races.”
For the first Kite medal series of an Olympic Games, the top two from the regular series go straight through to the final, while the remaining eight compete in the semi-finals, four in each.
Those seeded third and fourth after the opening series begin the semi-final with two wins to their names, with the fifth and sixth seeds carrying over one victory. The first person in each semi-final with three wins qualifies for the final.
This means a semi-final could be over in one race, should the top seed win and take their tally to three, or it could continue for an extended period if those without wins dominate the racing. Once one kiteboarder has qualified from each semi-final, the final four are set. As with the semi-finals, there is an advantage to qualifying well. The top overall seed begins with two wins, the second seed with one, and the rest start from scratch.
For the USA, Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, CA) only needs to win one race to advance from semi finals to finals to join France’s Lauriane Nolot and Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge. Markus Edegran must win three races to move from semis to finals in the Men’s fleet to join Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek and Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder.
Viewers back home can catch the action on NBC’s Peacock with archived reruns to follow. For more information on the 13 Team USA athletes competing in the sailing events, on the racing schedule, the broadcast coverage and more, see US Sailing’s Olympics Page
