International Optimist World Championships - New World Champion

10:10 AM Sat 15 Aug 2009 GMT

'Start line - Opti Worlds 2009 Brazil' Fred Hoffman

International Optimist World Championships Niteroi, Brazil.

The final race was held in Niteroi today and Sinclair Jones from Peru has become the 2009 Optimist World Champion.

The race committee and sailors waited patiently for wind today and finally the breeze filled in and race 12 began. Completing this race would permit another discard so for many sailors with a poor race finish, completing this race would enable them to drop their worst result.

The sailors were anxious to start, many remaining above the line during the starting sequence resulting in an AP from the race committee. Determined to complete this race, at the next start an 'I' flag was displayed in an attempt to keep the sailors behind the line. This time the fleet got away but many sailors were identified as over the line at the starting signal (OCS), did not go back and start correctly and so were scored 73 points.

The left side of the course was heavily favoured and so the fleet remained quite tightly bunched as they all headed to the left. The other starts got away, all with an 'I' flag and so this championship, sailed at a venue with some of the most challenging of wind conditions, was over. The leader going into today, Mohamad Faizal Norizan of Malaysia had a disappointing race and was not able to improve his series score but Sinclair Jones, in second place, sailed an excellent race, finished 9th and became the overall winner by eight points.

August 13th report

Niteroi delivered a perfect day of racing, sun and wind in Guanabara Bay in front of the host Club Navale Charitas. The racing so far has been dominated by sailors from Asia, there are five placed in the top ten.

Malaysia has been the strongest and most consistent nation with an incredible three sailors in the top seven. This bodes well for them when the IODA Worlds 2010 are on their home waters in Langkawi.

There are now eleven races completed with just three more possible tomorrow. After 12 races there will be another discard which still leaves the medal places uncertain. Mohamad Faizal Norizan of Malaysia is back in the lead but he will have to work hard to remain ahead of his nearest rivals.

Fleet Racing 12th Aug

Noppakao Poonpat THA 112 The fleet racing commenced again today after the 3 days of team racing. Three races were planned, 6, 7 & 8 and although once again the wind was light, they were completed.

After six races, sailors may discard their worst result and so at the end of today Noppakao Poonpat (Thailand) was not only first girl but first overall. She has a two point lead over the next three sailors who are all tied on 28 points, Ahmad Latif Khan Ali Subri Khan, Mohamad Faizal Norizan both from Malaysia and Ignacio Rogala of Argentina.