Paris 2024: Kite Finals Updates
by Mark Jardine 9 Aug 2024 01:31 NZST
8 August 2024
Ellie Aldridge (GBR) wins Women's Kite gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics © World Sailing / Lloyd Images
Fast and frenetic action as the final events of the sailing at Paris 2024 reach their conclusion.
Semi Finals
The top rider starts on two wins, the second rider starts on one win, the first to three wins goes through.
Men's Semi-Final A Race 1
Italy's Riccardo Pianosi starts only requires a single win. France's Axel Mazella requires two.
At the start two riders on port, two on starboard. Pianosi ducks starboard tacker.
Brazil's Bruno Lobo leads at windward mark from Pianosi, with these two maintaining these positions through to the finish.
ITA 2 wins, FRA 1 win, BRA 1 win, CHN 0 wins
Men's Semi-Final B Race 1
Austria's Valentin Bontus starts on 2 wins, Germany's Jannis Maus starts on 1 win.
Bontus and Maus start on starboard, while USA's Markus Edegran and Great Britain's Connor Bainbridge start on port, with the Brit being a touch further back.
Bontus leads at the windward mark, while Edegran has a touchdown which pushes the American to the back of the fleet.
By the leeward mark the Austrian has built up a big lead over Germany's Maus.
Valentin Bontus makes no mistakes to win and progress to the Men's Kite Final.
Women's Semi-Final A Race 1
USA's Daniela Moroz starts on 2 wins, Switzerland's Elena Lengwiler starts on 1 win.
Breiana Whitehead (USA), Daniela Moroz (USA) and Elena Lengwiler (SUI) start on starboard while Gal Zukerman (ISR) starts on port. Lengwiler crashed down tacking onto port.
Moroz rounds the top mark and leeward first, picking a superb lay line early on. Lengwiler makes a startling comeback to round the leeward mark second.
Lengwiler continues her charge upwind and rounds the final top mark right on the tail of Moroz.
In an photo finish Elena Lengwiler just pips Moroz to take the win on the water, but is awarded a penalty for not keeping clear of the US sailor at the windward mark.
Daniela Moroz progresses to the Women's Kite Final.
Women's Semi-Final B Race 1
The Netherlands' Annelous Lammerts starts on 2 wins, Germany's Leonie Meyer starts on 1 win.
Port tack flyer! Poland's Julia Damasiewicz crosses the other three riders. She rounds the windward mark first ahead of Lammerts. The two battle closely downwind, but positions remain the same.
Lammerts tacks away first on the second upwind leg with Damasiewicz following suit soon after. Lammerts shows superb speed to take the lead at the final windward mark.
Germany's Leonie Meyer closes right up to Lammerts on the downwind leg and protests Lammerts for not keeping clear.
Lammerts crosses the line first, but must wait on the Jury decision...
The protest is dismissed, so Annelous Lammerts progresses to the Women's Final.
Men's Semi-Final A Race 2
Italy's Riccardo Pianosi requires one win. France's Axel Mazella and Brazil's Bruno Lobo require two wins, China's Qibin Huang requires 3 wins.
Pianosi starts on port behind the 3 starboard tackers. Huang clashes kites and crashes down to trail the other riders, as well as being penalised for the infringement.
Pianosi leads at the first windward mark. Lobo charges downwind, but cannot overhaul the Italian, with Mazella also in contention.
Pianosi again leads from Lobo and Mazella at the final windward mark.
Lobo charges round the outside downwind, but Pianosi makes no mistake to take the race win.
Riccardo Pianosi progresses to the Men's Final.
Finals
The top rider starts on two wins, the second rider starts on one win, the first to three wins is the gold medallist. The remaining medals are awarded based on number of race wins and seeding.
Women's Final Race 1
France's Lauriane Nolot starts on 2 wins, Great Britain's Ellie Aldridge starts on 1 win, the USA's Daniela Moroz and The Netherlands' Annelous Lammerts start on no wins.
All four riders start on starboard FRA and GBR at the pin end, USA and NED at the committee boat end.
Ellie Aldridge rounds the windward mark ahead of Nolot and Moroz.
Nolot takes the lead from Aldridge on the downwind leg.
Aldridge then powers upwind to retake the lead and round the final windwind mark ahead of Nolot.
Aldridge stays ahead downwind, crossing Nolot, and crosses the line to take the race win.
FRA 2 wins, GBR 2 wins, USA 0 wins, NED 0 wins.
Men's Final Race 1
Slovenia's Toni Vodisek starts on 2 wins, Singapore's Max Maeder starts on 1 win, Austria's Valentin Bontus and Italy's Riccardo Pianosi start on no wins.
There was a delay due to a protest, which has been dismissed.
AUT, SGP and SLO start on starboard. ITA starts on port, crossing behind the other riders.
Austria's Bontus tacks in ahead of Italy's Pianosi at the windmark with Slovenia's Vodisek and Singapore's Maeder third and fourth respectively.
Bontus holds his lead, with Maeder flying downwind into second at the leeward mark.
Bontus leads at the final windward mark from Maeder, Pianosi and Vodisek.
Austria's Valentin Bontus holds on to take the win.
SLO 2 wins, SGP 1 win, AUT 1 win, ITA no wins.
Women's Final Race 2
France's Lauriane Nolot and Great Britain's Ellie Aldridge require 1 win, the USA's Daniela Moroz and The Netherlands' Annelous Lammerts require 3 wins.
GBR, USA and NED start on starboard, FRA starts on port.
Nolot crosses the fleet on starboard, but needs to do two more tacks to make the windwark mark. Aldridge rounds the windward mark first, while Nolot touches down to round last.
Aldridge rounds the leeward mark first with Lammerts just 4 seconds behind. Then Moroz followed by Nolot.
Aldridge rounds the final windward mark first, Lammerts second, Moroz third, Nolot fourth. USA is given a penalty for failing to keep kite clear.
Great Britain's Ellie Aldridge powers down the final run and reaches into the finish to secure the first-ever Kite gold medal!
Silver for France's Lauriane Nolot, bronze for The Netherlands' Annelous Lammerts.
Men's Final Race 2
The wind has died, so we're going to have to come back tomorrow to finish things off.
- Slovenia's Toni Vodisek requires 1 win
- Singapore's Max Maeder requires 2 wins
- Austria's Valentin Bontus requires 2 wins
- The Netherlands' Annelous Lammerts requires 3 wins