Veerle ten Have and Aimee Bright have made strong starts to the iQFOiL World Championships in Weymouth, England, with both Kiwis breaking into the top 10 after the opening day.
Ten Have sits ninth overall and Bright 10th in the 70-strong women’s fleet after four races, including two upwind sprints and two course races.
Ten Have, who debuted with a top-10 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, recovered well from a slow start to her campaign, discarding a 31st before recording an 11th in the second upwind sprint. She then found her rhythm in the course races, posting scores of ninth and sixth to finish the day firmly among the leading group.
Veerle ten Have leads the Kiwi charge in Weymouth. Photos / Sailing Energy
Bright, meanwhile, came out firing with victory in the opening race of the championship. The Kiwi followed that with a ninth, discarded 34th and 17th to sit just behind ten Have on the overall standings.
Israel’s reigning European champion Tamar Steinberg made the perfect start at the top of the fleet, winning all four races to establish an early lead over Germany’s Stella Bilger and Norway’s Maya Gysler.
Aimee Bright is 10th overall. Photos / Sailing Energy
The Kiwi men faced a different opening-day programme, completing four upwind sprints after conditions prevented the fleet from moving on to course racing.
Paris 2024 Olympian Josh Armit was the leading New Zealander, finishing just outside the top 10 in each of his races to sit 43rd overall. Eli Liefting is 62nd, with Blake Hinsley 64th.
Dutch sailor and reigning European champion Luuc van Opzeeland holds the early lead in the men’s fleet, although four sailors finished the day level on points at the top of a tightly packed leaderboard.
Racing continues tonight (NZ time) at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, with six days of competition culminating in Saturday’s medal series.
Latest results and standings here.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
