OCTOBER 2004 - Finn

Runners and riders
Before the first race got underway, many spectators were trying to predict the medal positions
and those likely to be in with a chance. For once, the pundits were not far wrong.
Mateusz has a point to prove in Athens. After
winning Olympic Gold in Savannah in 1996,
he was shunted out of the medals into fourth
in Sydney and will be looking to bounce back
this time around.
The 29-year old Polish athlete from Warsaw,
who started sailing an Optimist at the age of
10 has had a string of successes over the
years and recently returned to pretty awesome
form in order to peak when it matters in
Athens.
This year he won the ISAF Grade 1 SPA
Regatta as well as the European
Championship in La Rochelle. Kusznierewicz
has over the last couple of years been living
in the shadow of three time World Champion
Ben Ainslie, but with recent form now leads
the ISAF World Sailing Rankings and must
rate as one of the strongest medal contenders
in a competitive fleet in Athens.
The Finn fleet, as well as being full of veteran
campaigners who will be looking to push their
ability to the limits in the difficult Athens
conditions, includes a number of athletes
making their Olympic debut in Athens. Of the
strong fleet of 25, ten athletes have never
before competed in an Olympic Sailing
Competition.
First time contenders include the familiar face
of Americas Cup skipper Dean Barker.
Following time out from the Team New
Zealand syndicate, in which Ben will be joining
him shortly after the Olympic Games, Barker
returned to his dinghy sailing roots and
successfully won the right to represent New
Zealand at the Olympic Games.
The fleet certainly has its share of champions
around the different facets of the world of
sailing. No fewer than six athletes have
represented their country at the ISAF Youth
Sailing World Championships over the years,
and two of those, Ben and Dean, have both
won Gold medals at the event. Other
representatives include Jonas Hoegh-
Christensen, Mateusz, Richard Clarke, Kevin
Hall and Alejandro Colla.
Kevin is a prime example of the depth of
talent in the fleet. Having won the ISAF Youth
Sailing World Championship in 1986, he
continued his efforts and Olympic aspirations.
A first campaign in the Finn Class for the
1992 Olympics did not result in selection but
was the start of his Olympic path. It was then
onto the Laser Class for 1996, but he again
missed US selection, before swapping classes
to the 49er. Having won the bronze medal
three times at the 49er World Championships
(99, 98, 97), Kevin and helm Morgan Larson
seemed to be onto a sure thing, but with the
‘do or die’ single event trials, despite a top
performance throughout their Olympic
campaign the pair missed out for the 2000
Olympic Games. After a stint of Americas
Cup sailing, Kevin returned to the Finn last
year, and earlier this year won the US Trials
with a race to spare. His first Olympics, his
fourth Olympic campaign - and a phenomenal
pool of talent and experience from which he
will draw when he gets to the start line in
Athens.
Since his migration from the Single-handed
Dinghy Open after winning the Gold Medal
in Sydney, Great Britain’s Ben Ainslie jumped
into the shoes of long time friend and team
mate Iain Percy, who has himself moved into
the Star Class. With much to live up to, but
with the legacy of Percy’s campaign giving
him an initial boost, Ainslie took the class by
storm and has won the last three World
Championships on the trot. This feat
immediately puts him somewhere near
legendary status, but proof will be in his ability
to cope with the renewed pressure of another
Olympic Sailing Competition, an event unlike
any other.
Rafael Trujillo will be making his Finn debut
Photo © François Richard
in Athens next month and following his third
placed finish at the ISAF World
Championships in Cádiz in 2003, he has
looked strong and consistently fast. A victory
at Kiel Week this year and a third place in
Hyéres has confirmed his position as one of
the world’s best and he’ll be fighting the top
two of Mateusz and Ben all the way.
Local hero Emilios Papathanasiou will be
sailing on his home waters in the Saronic
Gulf and for that reason he is considered a
real chance for a medal. After an indifferent
2003 season, he has settled into a pattern
this year and in winning the ISAF Grade 1
Semaine Olympique Francaise and finishing
fifth at Kiel Week has shown that Greece has
a good shot at medal. Emilios currently lies
18 in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings but
with the home support things could well go
his way.
Croatian Sailor Karlo Kuret will be at his fourth
Olympic Games when he arrives in Athens,
the only sailor in the fleet to hold this accolade.
The 34-year old athlete from Split on the
Adriatic Coast, has improved in every
Olympics. In his first, Barcelona in 2002 , he
finished 22, before a good tenth place finish
at Sydney in 2000. A regular within the top
ten over the last 12 months, he will be looking
for a solid performance in Athens.
2001 World Champion Sebastien Godefroid
has seemed a little off the pace in recent
months. After the silver medal he won behind
Mateusz in 1996, he could only finish seventh
in 2000. A disappointing result by his own
standards, a 17 at the 2004 World
Championship in Rio, Brazil earlier this year,
has pummelled him to pick up his game. With
performances that go in peaks and troughs,
Godefroid looks to be on the way up and the
potential for inconsistent conditions in Athens
could well be to his liking.
FINNFARE OCTOBER 2004