- 10 August 2016 | Windsurfing
The British sailor, 36, had a perfect start on the first day of competition and won three races at Guanabara Bay.
“I was just nervous about something not going right, but it went so well. In the last race, the breeze dropped a few bombs on the course. It caught a few people out, a few people did well out of it, and I managed to hold on to second, which was probably the best bit of the day,” explained Nick Dempsey.
London 2012 gold medallist, Dorian van Rijsselberghe, improved his performance on the second day and scored two bullets. The Dutch recovered, and proved he will battle for glory until the end.
“I’ve been lucky! Sometimes lucky and sometimes good. Everything is going well, we have done six races, so we are not at the halfway point yet. But I’m feeling good, I’m happy about today and just need to try to keep going like this,” added van Rijsselberghe.
On the women’s side, Charline Picon started strong with two bullets and a runner-up finish. The French windsurfer hopes to fight for the medals.
“I had a lot of pressure and to begin like that? Well, I couldn’t have imagined that yesterday because I was a little bit stressed. I’m happy, but I need to stay focused,” stated Picon.
However, on the second day of races, Flavia Tartaglini scored two bullets and dethroned Charline from first place in the rankings. The Italian was not expecting Picon’s disaster performance.
“Charline was leading yesterday and today she was behind me in all three races. But that means just that today I have had a good day. She’s one of the strong contenders, so maybe I’m also one of them. Today was my best day; I hope I will continue in this way. I have the speed, and I have the training, and we are all there in the fight,” concluded Tartaglini.
Rio 2016 | RS:X Fleet (6/12 Races)
Men
1. Nick Dempsey (GBR), 6.8
2. Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED), 10
3. Piotr Myszka (POL), 16
4. Byron Kokkalanis (GRE), 20
5. Pierre Le Coq (FRA), 25
Women
1. Flavia Tartaglini (ITA), 12
2. Charline Picon (FRA), 13
3. Stefaniya Elfutina (RUS), 18
4. Lilian De Geus (NED), 20
5. Maayan Davidovich (ISR), 24
Source: WCA
