Caribbean sailors Luc Chevrier of St. Lucia, Just van Aanholt of Aruba, and Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands gave it their all but, unfortunately, fell short of the medals as the men's dinghy sailing event finished with the medal race on Thursday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chevrier finished 29th in the competition, scoring 199 points and 163 net points while van Aanholt finished 33rd with 217 total points and 178 net points.
Lettsome finished 38th, with 255 total points and 215 net points.
Throughout the competition, these sailors displayed exceptional skill, determination, and sportsmanship, representing their countries with pride on the global stage.
In the women’s dinghy competition, Bermuda’s Adriana Penruddocke and the Cayman Islands’ Charlotte Webster gave strong efforts.
In race 9, Webster finished 37th, while Penruddocke finished 42nd. After the medal race, Penruddocke finished 36th overall with 270 total points and 226 net points while Webster finished 41st with 349 total points and 306 net points.
These women put out a valiant effort, and while they did not get the opportunity at medalling, their performances were admirable, showcasing their athletic ability and passion for the sport.
Marit Bouwmeester made history at the Paris Games after she became the most decorated female in Olympic sailing following her triumph in the women's dinghy event.
Bouwmeester has now overtaken Great Britain's Hannah Mills, who won three Olympic medals between 2012 and 2020.
The 36-year-old won silver in this class of sailing in London in 2012, earning her first gold medal in Rio before earning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Denmark's Anne-Marie Rindom, who won gold in Tokyo three years ago, settled for silver this time around, with Norway's Line Flem Hoest taking the final podium place.
"It's nice to finally finish it off - it hasn't sunk in yet," Bouwmeester said.
"I have so much respect for Line and Anne-Marie, we push each other all the way."
Australia's reigning Olympic champion Matt Wearn grabbed gold in the men's dinghy, with Pavlos Kontides of Cyrpus picking up his second silver.
Stefano Peschiera ended Peru's 32-year wait for a medal with his bronze medal finish, while Team GB's Michael Beckett ended the final in 10th.
St Lucia’s Luc Chevrier, Aruba’s Just Aanholt, and Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands all redeemed themselves in races three and four of the men's dinghy event at the Marseille Marina – Frioul on Friday.
The standout performance came from Lettsome, who secured an impressive second place in race four. He started strong and led at mark 1, but slipped to third at mark three before inching up to second at mark 4, where he stayed until the end.
Lettsome finished just behind Croatia's Filip Jurisic. Aanholt and Chevrier placed 24th and 25th, respectively.
Race three saw Chevrier deliver the best performance among the trio, as he placed 19th, while Aanholt and Lettsome were 25th and 36th, respectively.
The overall standings reflect improvements for the Caribbean trio, with Chevrier now ranked 31st, Aanholt 33rd, and Lettsome 34th. All three sailors have advanced from their former positions after the first two races, demonstrating their determination and competence.
Bermuda’s Penruddocke, Cayman Islands’ Webster represent the Caribbean in women’s dinghy
Bermuda’s Adriana Penruddocke had a great start in the women’s dinghy event, finishing 14th in race one at the Marseille Marina – Frioul.
Meanwhile, Cayman Islands’ Charlotte Webster finished 41st in the same race.
Both sailors struggled in Race 2, with Penruddocke finishing 35th and Webster 40th. Penruddocke, on the other hand, redeemed herself in race three, finishing 26th, while Webster was 39th.
After three races, Penruddocke is 26th overall with 40 points, and Webster is 41st with 79 points.
Penruddocke, 24, secured her spot in Paris 2024 with a sixth-place result at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Webster, 20, qualified by finishing 12th in the ILCA 6 at the same games, becoming the third woman sailor from Cayman Islands to represent the country at an Olympic Games.
As the competition progresses and the upcoming races begin, the spotlight will be on these Caribbean competitors as they work to improve their place in the sport.
St. Lucia's Luc Chevrier had a solid start in the men's dinghy event, which got underway at the Marseille Marina on Thursday. Despite a delay due to weather-related issues, Chevrier exhibited determination in the initial races.
Chevrier finished 24th in the first race, a performance that was marked by strong advancement as he climbed to 16th at mark 4, then to 14th at mark 1. However, he later slipped to 22nd and ultimately crossed the finish line in 24th place.
The second race proved more formidable, as Chevrier started 39th and worked his way up to 36th. By virtue of those performances, the 25-year-old, who contested the Laser event at the 2020 Tokyo Games, is now 32nd in the overall standings with 60 points.
Meanwhile, Aruba’s Just Aanholt finished 26th in the first race and 38th in the second, as he sits 37th overall with 65 points.
Thad Lettsome of the British Virgin Islands, making his Olympic debut, placed 40th in the first race but improved to 37th in the second. He is occupying 40th position overall with 78 points.
As the competition progresses and the next races get started, the attention will be on these Caribbean athletes as they look to improve their positions in the sport, which uses small boats, such as sailing dinghies.
The Caribbean athletes have delivered a mix of remarkable performances and near misses in various disciplines at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yariulvis Cobas of Cuba in Women’s Single Sculls
Cuban rower Yariulvis Cobas will advance to the Semifinals E/F in the women’s single sculls after finishing third in the repechage with a time of 8:10.64. Despite a strong start, Cobas was edged out by Filipino Joanie Delgaco, who won in 7:55.00, and Vietnamese Pham Thi Hue, who finished second in 8:00.97. Cobas had earlier failed to qualify directly to the quarterfinals after finishing fifth in her heat. The 33-year-old, who made her Olympic debut in London 2012, continues to showcase her resilience and determination.
Dara Alizadeh of Bermuda in Men’s Single Sculls
Bermuda’s Dara Alizadeh also qualified for the Semifinals E/F in the men’s single sculls after a challenging repechage round. Alizadeh finished third with a time of 7:17.05, trailing behind Algerian Sid Ali Boudina and Hong Kong’s Hin Chun Chiu. Despite leading initially, Alizadeh couldn’t maintain his pace and was overtaken, narrowly missing out on advancing to the quarterfinals.
Andrea Becali of Cuba in Women’s 200m Freestyle Swimming
Cuban swimmer Andrea Becali fell short in the heats of the women’s 200m freestyle, finishing eighth with a time of 2:03.38. Her performance placed her 21st overall, 7.59 seconds behind the fastest qualifier, Australia’s Mollie O'Callaghan. Becali, a two-time individual finalist at the 2023 Pan American Games, faced tough competition but remains a key figure in Caribbean swimming.
Men’s 100m Backstroke
Bermuda’s Jack Harvey, Grenada’s Zackary Gresham, and Maximillian Wilson of the US Virgin Islands delivered commendable performances in the men’s 100m backstroke heats. Harvey won his heat in 55.78, while Gresham finished fourth at 58.92. Wilson also won his heat in 54.49, and Yeziel Morales from Puerto Rico finished sixth in 55.76. Despite their efforts, none of these athletes advanced to the next round. Harvey, Wilson, and Morales finished 39th, 27th, and 38th respectively, with Hungarian Hubert Kos leading the qualifiers with a time of 52.78.
Women’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting
Cuban Lisbet Hernandez and Puerto Rican Yarimar Mercado Martinez were unable to advance in the women’s 10m air rifle shooting preliminaries. Hernandez scored 624.7, placing 36th, while Martinez scored 622.0, finishing 39th. Both athletes faced stiff competition and were unable to secure a spot in the next round.
Audrys Nin Reyes of the Dominican Republic in Artistic Gymnastics
Dominican Republic gymnast Audrys Nin Reyes faced challenges in the artistic gymnastics qualifiers. In the Horizontal bar, he scored 11.400 points, finishing 58th, and in the vault, he ranked 16th overall with scores of 14.766 and 13.200. Despite his strong performances, Nin Reyes did not advance to the next round.
Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube will be intent on extending a proud tradition after being confirmed as the latest additions to the British sailing team for this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Heathcote and Grube will compete in the 470 class, which is making its debut as a mixed event having recently been the domain of three-time Olympic medallist Hannah Mills.
Mills teamed up with Saskia Clark to win silver and gold in the women’s category in 2012 and 2016 respectively before joining Eilidh McIntyre to retain her Olympic crown in 2020.
Heathcote, who will be the youngest sailor in the British team at the age of 22, said: “It gives me goosebumps knowing that I’m going to be a part of the biggest sporting spectacle on earth.
“The Olympics has always been the goal and the thing I project my inspiration and motivation towards, so selection is a box ticked on the way there.”
Grube, 39, will make his third appearance at the Games having previously competed in both 2016 and 2020 alongside Luke Patience.
Aside from Mills’ trio of successes, Team GB have also won four silver medals in the now-defunct men’s category since the 470 class was introduced to the Olympics in 1988.
Team GB chef de mission Mark England said: “Following their fantastic silver at the recent World Championships I am delighted to welcome Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube to Team GB for Paris 2024.”
The selection of Heathcote and Grube takes the size of the British sailing team for Paris to 13, with the inaugural men’s kite category still to be added.
Yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur smashed the record for the fastest single-handed circumnavigation of the globe on this day in 2005.
MacArthur, then 28, completed her 27,354-mile odyssey in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds.
With an average speed on the water of 15.9 knots, the Briton beat the previous record set by Frenchman Francis Joyon by more than a day.
It was an astounding achievement given that many in sailing had predicted Joyon’s mark, set only in 2004, would last many years. Joyon had taken more than 20 days off the previous record in completing his journey in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds.
MacArthur, from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, set out on November 28, 2004 in her 75ft trimaran called B&Q/Castorama. She crossed the finish line off Ushant, France, at 10.25pm on February 7.
During an incident-packed voyage she narrowly avoided colliding with a whale, suffered burns to her arm and was battered and bruised after climbing the 90ft mast to carry out repairs.
She also had to battle gales and icebergs in the Southern Ocean, deal with light winds in the Atlantic and cope with a host of other technical problems.
Despite that, she managed to stay ahead of Joyon’s time for the vast majority of her adventure. She also collected another five records on the way, beating Joyon’s time to the Equator, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin in Australia, Cape Horn and back to the Equator.
“I am elated, I am absolutely drained, it has been a very tough trip,” MacArthur said. “When I crossed the line I felt like collapsing on the floor and just falling asleep. I was absolutely over the moon.”
The yachtswoman was congratulated by the Queen and Prime Minister Tony Blair following her achievement.
The Queen said: “Your progress has been followed by many people in Britain and throughout the world, who have been impressed by your courage, skill and stamina.”
She described it as a “remarkable and historic achievement”.
MacArthur, originally from Derbyshire, was given a Damehood soon after completing her quest.
Her record stood for almost three years before being reclaimed by Joyon. He took another 14 days off the time, finishing in 57 days, 13 hours and 34 minutes.
The record is currently held by another Frenchman, Francois Gabart, who completed the journey in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds in December 2017.
MacArthur, who still holds the record for the fastest woman to sail solo around the world, retired in 2010 and set up the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which campaigns for a circular economy to eliminate waste and pollution
China failed to top the podium on day 12 at Tokyo 2020 but still hold a seven-gold buffer over the second-place United States in the medal table.
The leaders endured a rare quiet outing on Wednesday, with Rio silver medal pairing Huang Xuechen and Sun Wenyan providing the sole silver of the day for China in the artistic swimming.
The USA failed to significantly dent the eight-gold gap from Tuesday, collecting just one gold in the women's 400m hurdles, where Sydney McLaughlin obliterated her own world record as part of an American one-two with defending Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad.
Muhammad's silver was one of three – all on the athletics track – for the USA as Courtney Frerichs and Kenny Bednarek boosted the medal count – the latter finishing second to North American rival Andre de Grasse in the men's 200m final.
Japan, who led the early gold count in Tokyo, remain in third and added golds through Yukako Kawai in the women's wrestling and Sakura Yosozumi in the women's skateboarding – Japan's third of four possible golds in the debuting event.
Great Britain leaped up from sixth to fourth as Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntrye secured gold in the women's sailing and Ben Maher became Team GB's second successive showjumping champion, backing up Nick Skelton's win at the previous Olympics.
Australia are tied with Team GB on 15 golds after Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan sailed to victory in the men's 470 to go one better than their runners-up finish at Rio in 2016.
The Russian Olympic Committee make up the top six after Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Svetlana Romashina overcame China's Xuechen and Wenyan in the first of two artistic swimming events to win the Russians' 14th gold of the Games.
Meanwhile, Peruth Chemutai became the first Ugandan woman to win an Olympic medal as she claimed gold in the women's 3,000m steeplechase.
China added three more golds to their tally at Tokyo 2020 as they continue to lead the Olympic medal table.
It was a dominant final day of artistic gymnastics competition for China, with victory for Zou Jingyuan in the men's parallel bars and for Guan Chenchen in the women's beam final as she beat compatriot Tang Xijing and the returning Simone Biles.
China also took gold and silver in the men's 3m springboard final, which saw Xie Siyi claim the title ahead of Wang Zongyuan.
The United States are eight gold medals behind China, the American team winning two on Tuesday.
Athing Mu earned a stunning victory in the women's 800m, the 19-year-old prevailing in an outstanding final in which seven of the eight runners finished under one minute and 58 seconds.
The other USA gold on day 11 came from Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the women's 68kg freestyle wrestling.
After drawing a blank on Monday, Japan had athletes back on the top of the podium with two more gold medals, taking their total to 19.
Daiki Hashimoto claimed his second gold of the Games by winning the horizontal bar final and Sena Irie took the Olympic women's featherweight boxing title.
Japan have a five-gold buffer to Australia, who are fourth in the medal table with 14, while the Russian Olympic Committee and Great Britain are tied on 13 apiece.
Great Britain's performance on their water allowed them to move level with the Russian Olympic Committee, as they won two of the four sailing golds on offer on the day.
Lyu Xiaojun became the oldest Olympic champion in weightlifting at the age of 37 to help tighten China's grip on top spot in the Tokyo 2020 medal table at the end of Saturday's action.
That victory for Lu in the 81 kilograms category led to China's fifth weightlifting gold of this year's Games and broke the record previously held by Rudolf Plyukfelder, who was 36 when winning gold at Tokyo 1964.
China also came out on top in the women's windsurfer – RS:X event after a tense three-way battle which saw Yunxiu Lu edge out Charline Picon and Emma Wilson of France and Great Britain respectively.
Japan remain second in the overall medal standings, despite failing to add to their 17 golds, which allowed the USA to close the gap after a successful day in the pool.
Caeleb Dressel won the 100m butterfly to become only the second man to win that and the 100m freestyle at the same Olympic Games after compatriot Mark Spitz in Munich in 1972.
And Katie Ledecky won the women's 800m freestyle to become the first woman to win six individual Olympic gold medals in swimming.
The Russian Olympic Committee won their solitary gold for the day in fencing, triumphing in the women's sabre team final with a narrow victory over France to remain fourth, while Australia stay fifth thanks to Kaylee McKeown, who won the women's 200m backstroke to add to her 100m backstroke triumph.
Further down the list, Jamaica earned a clean sweep of medals in the women's 100m as Elaine Thompson-Herah pipped compatriots Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson to retain her crown as the world's fastest female.
Other notable gold medals were awarded to Team GB in the triathlon mixed relay and Poland in the 4 x 400m mixed relay, with both of those events being added to the Olympic schedule for the first time in Tokyo.
It was also a day to remember for Sweden as Daniel Stahl took gold in the men's discus, finishing just ahead of training partner Simon Pettersson to complete their nation's first one-two finish in an event at the summer Games since the men's 10,000m race walk at London 1948.
Organisers of the troubled Tokyo Olympics are facing a new headache with the prospect of an incoming typhoon early in the Games.
Monday's rowing events have already been moved to Sunday, to guard against the possibility of the powerful storm hitting Japan's capital.
Masa Takaya, spokesperson for the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, addressed the threat posed by the tropical cyclone after it was confirmed there was "adverse weather" expected on Monday.
He said the issue had been "discussed in crisis management", with the typhoon currently off shore but heading in the general direction of Tokyo, according to some forecasts.
"Unlike an earthquake, we are able to predict the path of a typhoon, therefore we can prepare in advance," Takaya added.
"Especially when it comes to rowing, as a preventative measure we have decided to change the schedule.
"For the athlete we understand it is going to be a substantial burden; however, this is a case that has been experienced in past Olympics Games as well.
"But of course we are looking very closely at the path of the typhoon to ensure there are decisions made as a preventive measure."
Already delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and taking place largely behind closed doors, the Tokyo Games got under way in unprecedented circumstances.
A major storm, particularly one that might cause damage and even a threat to human life, would be another daunting hurdle that organisers would need to be ready for.
Sailing and surfing are among other sports on Monday's schedule.
Takaya added: "Should a typhoon make landfall there could be damages both human and also physical damages. When that should be the case, we would take responsible measures.
"As to what will happen in the days ahead, we are not able to accurately predict. At this point, I will not be able to inform you exactly as to what [action] precisely will be taken."
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