Match Race, Ben Ainslie è il nuovo numero uno
Match RaceSailing.orgVela 8 Dicembre 2010 Zerogradinord 0
[singlepic id=2625 w=320 h=213 float=left]Match Race – Londra – Continua il momento d’oro di Ben Ainslie. Il campionissimo inglese, fresco vincitore del titolo iridato di match race, ha infatti raggiunto la prima posizione della ranking list mondiale di specialità, sopravanzando il campione mondiale del 2009, Adam Minoprio e Mathiue Richard che alla vigilia della Monsoon Cup era considerata l’uomo da battere. Nulla ha potuto il talento francese contro la progressione di Ainslie. Ottavo in classifica lo scorso dicembre, l’ex skipper di Team Origin ha mosso un passo dopo l’altro sino a trovarsi al secondo posto già lo scorso luglio.
A completare la top five sono Torvar Mirsky, bravo nel confermarsi sempre tra i migliori, e il due volte iridato Ian Williams, cui certo non ha giovato il tardivo inizio di stagione.
Buone notizie per i colori azzurri, ben rappresentati da Francesco Bruni entrato per la prima volta nella top ten. Il timoniere palermitano, giunto alla fase finale della Monsoon Cup, è attualmente attestato all’ottavo posto della ranking list dietro a Bjorn Hansen e Pierre-Antoine Morvan e davanti alla rivelazione Phil Robertson. Il giovane detentore del titolo neozelandese ha compiuto un deciso balzo avanti, passando dalla diciottesima alla nona piazza.
Per trovare altri timonieri italiani bisogna scorrere la ranking list sino alle posizioni comprese tra la ventesima e la trentesima. Simone Ferrarese è ventunesimo, ventitreesimo Paolo Cian e venticinquesimo Jacopo Pasini.
In campo femminile, importante perchè le donne lotteranno per l’oro olimpico proprio nella categoria del match race, irrompe in vetta alla classifica Nicky Souter. Un’inezia, appena tre punti su oltre undicimilacento, è il vantaggio che la velista australiana ha sulla francese Claire Leroy, plurititolata interprete dell’uno contro uno in rosa. A completare la top five sono la britannica Lucy Macgregor, la statunitense Anna Tunnicliffe e l’olandese Renee Groeneveld.
Per consultare la ranking list open clicca qui.
MATCH RACE, BEN AINSLIE TAKES THE LEAD IN THE RANKING LIST
[ISAF Press Release] The new ISAF Match Racing World Champion and 2010 world Match Race Tour winner Ben Ainslie has today also claimed the top position in the open rankings for the first time in his career. Nicky Souter maintains her position at the top of the women’s rankings.
Open Rankings
Ben Ainslie’s progress up the open rankings has been sure and steady. In December 2009 he was at #8 and since July 2010 has been poised at #2, ready to pounce on long term leader Adam Minoprio. With Minoprio at #2, Mathieu Richard remains at #3 ahead of Torvar Mirsky at #4 while Ian Williams moves up to complete the top five.
Ainslie’s rise to the top was secured on Sunday when he finished of the 2010 Tour season in style. Defeating Richard in the quarter-final of the Monsoon Cup left the French team fighting for survival. They could still claim the world title but the job was suddenly a lot more difficult. While Ainslie went on to defeat Bjorn Hansen in the semi-final before meeting the Mirsky Racing Team in the final, Richard failed to win his sail off. It was a fitting finale to a nail-biting season and with Richard in eighth, the title belonged to Ainslie.
For Monsoon Cup qualifier Philip Robertson it has been a glittering end to the year. After winning the Asian Match Racing Championship he travelled to Berlin and finished third at the ISAF Grade 1 Berlin Match Race. Back to New Zealand and he claimed the national title and then to Perth, Australia where he won the Sunseeker Australia Cup. Robertson finished the Monsoon Cup in tenth position and his results through November have lifted him to a career best of #9 in the world, a nine place rise from the previous ranking.
Third overall in Malaysia was Jesper Radich who has stood on the podium at all four World Tour events he has sailed at this year. Radich moves up eleven places to #20. The Berlin Match Race was the only Grade 1 open event since the last ranking and this was won by Bjorn Hansen who went to finish fourth in Malaysia. Hansen moves two places up the rankings to #6.
Three ISAF Grade 2 open events took place in this period; the Mumbai International Match Race, the Sunseeker Australia Cup and the Carlos Aguilar Match Racing Championship in the US Virgin Islands. Laurie Jury won in Mumbai and also finished sixth at the Carlos Aguilar and he subsequently climbs twelve places to a lifetime best of #27.
Women’s Rankings
Nicky Souter maintains her position at #1 but with the smallest of margins. Claire Leroy swaps places again with Lucy MacGregor to return to #2 just three points behind Souter. Anna Tunnicliffe and Renee Groeneveld remain at #4 and #5 respectively.
The women’s match racing events counting to this ranking release includes just one ISAF Grade 1 event, the Busan International Match Race. The Busan title went to Claire Leroy who defeated Katie Spithill in the final
Results from two ISAF Grade 2 events, the Ladies Only Match Race in Hamburg, Germany and the Women’s Carlos Aguilar Match Racing Regatta, are also counting points. Silja Lehtinen defeated Silke Hahlbrock to win in Hamburg but neither change position in the rankings, staying at #15 and #13 respectively. Genevieve Tulloch took the win in St Thomas, defeating Lucy MacGregor in the final and her ranking position improves from #12 to equal her career best at #9.
The highest new entry is Julia Toroi who won the ISAF Grade 3 Audi FIM Youth Match Nordics in Helsinki, Finland. Toroi joins the women’s rankings at #102.
Next up for the women’s match racing teams is the first regatta of the 2010-11 ISAF Sailing World Cup, Sail Melbourne which kicks of on 12 December.
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