49er and FX skiffs race off in Olympic simulation – Coaches Regatta
Buksak and Weirzbicki (POL-49er) dominated in all conditions after the most arduous domestic trials of all 49er Olympic-bound teams. The Polish pair are in great form leading into the Marseilles Olympics. They sailed six straight races to top three positions until a miscue in their final race interrupted their run of results. That scoreline only won the regatta by two points, but it is a serious accomplishment in a regatta full of serious teams! The Polish quad has the deepest this quadrennial, and Buksak/Weirzbicki fended off their domestic rivals in a super late Olympic selection by Poland. All the results from the 2023 World Championship through the 2024 European Championship were considered, and they had to perform against two other top 10 domestic rivals. If they can hold their form for just one more month, that will be an incredible accomplishment of mental focus over a long duration!
2024 World Champions Fischer and Pequin (FRA) also had a great run of races to secure second place. Bildstein and Hussl (AUT) took third on another tidey scoreline.
The 49er fleet was deep and complete, with most Olympic teams racing all races and a few training partners. The teams that did well had a run of consistent races and will get a confidence boost here in the home stretch to the Games, while those who did not can discard the result and look forward to better days.
The FX regatta was far more mercurial, with all teams scoring a wide variety of results, missing many races, performing better or worse depending on the conditions, and generally creating more questions than answers.
Ronja Gronblom with Veera Hokka (FIN) won the regatta on the strength of their early results in the big breeze and big waves. They won the opening race on the opening day, with huge conditions limiting the fleet to just a single race.
Read more on the Paris 2024 Olympics event page on our website 49er.org
All videos shot and edited by Alexia Lahoud / @49ersailing
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