Photo: PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand sailor George Gautrey is signing off from the Olympic test event without a medal but with plenty of invaluable experience following a week of competition in Marseille.
Gautrey missed out on a podium spot in the Laser class by a single point after placing fifth in the medal race on Sunday morning.
Lining up for the double-points decider in third, Gautrey crossed the finish line two places behind Pavlov Kontides – just enough for the Cypriot to overtake him on the leaderboard.
Australian Olympic champion Matt Wearn claimed the gold medal, overhauling a nine-point deficit to relegate overnight leader Michael Beckett of Britain to silver.
Though disappointed not to add to his silver medal from the Princess Sofia Regatta in Spain in April, Gautrey is taking plenty of positives from the week.
“Overall I’m pleased but you’re always a little frustrated in the moment. It was a tough medal race, but you give it your best punt and you take what you can get,” Gautrey said.
“My start to the week (14th overall after day one) gave me a bit of an uphill battle so I’m pretty pleased with how I clawed my way back into it.”
He could be back at the Marseille Marina in just over a year – with sailing at the 2024 Paris Olympics being held at the same venue.
The New Zealand sailing team for the Games is yet to be finalised, however, with the first opportunity to qualify boats for the showpiece coming at the Sailing World Championships in The Hague next month.
Six other Kiwis will battle it out for silverware in four classes early on Monday morning.
Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson enter the Nacra 17 medal race in fifth after slipping two places in the standings with a mixed day in the mixed multihull.
The pair managed scores of 6 and 5 on either side of an 11 in stiff and shifty offshore breeze of up to 25 knots.
Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie have their work cut out in the 49er finale after carrying a score of 18 to drop to seventh overall on 91 points.
Meanwhile, windfoilers Veerle ten Have and Josh Armit will need to take the long road to the medals following a mammoth day on the water.
Two top-five finishes in six races saw ten Have drop to fourth overall while Armit’s third in the final race qualified him in seventh.
– RNZ
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