Kingston, April 30, 2022 ÛÒ Canadian sailor Sarah Douglas from Toronto, ON, took fifth place overall at the French Olympic Week competition that kicked off last Monday in Hy̬res, France, finishing only six points away from a bronze medal.
Qualified in fourth place for the Medal Race following the 10 preliminary races, Douglas, who won a gold medal in ILCA 6 at the World Sailing Hempel World Cup in Spain earlier this year, took the fifth spot in SaturdayÛªs Medal Race, the final event of the week where points were doubled, which allowed her to add 10 more points to her total and close the competition in fifth place overall.
With a total of 119 points accumulated throughout the week of races, Sarah Douglas finished only six points behind the bronze medalist, Louise Cervera of France. Agata Barwinska from Poland won gold, followed by Marie Barrue of France. Emma Plasschaert from Belgium, who was fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, also finished fourth on Saturday, one spot ahead of Sarah Douglas. Hannah Snellgrove from Great Britain, the silver medalist at the World Sailing World Cup, finished just behind Douglas in sixth place.
ÛÏIÛªm happy with the fifth-place finish after a challenging week including 65 boats competing, sometimes a smaller race course that we are used as well as challenging conditions. I made a number of mistakes but IÛªm happy to have learnt from them and I worked hard to reduce the damage of some racesÛ, said Sarah Douglas who went through highs and lows during the week, collecting three wins and also fourth, fifth, 12th, 16th, 29th, 40th and 47th place results over her 11 races.
ÛÏI knew I would be fatigued at the end of a long European block but IÛªm proud of how my coach Vaughn Harrison and I handled it, our communication and how we worked together as a team. I am honoured to work with a great coach. Overall IÛªm happy with a good start to the European seasonÛ, added Douglas who will now get prepared for the next World Sailing World Cup in Holland, June 1-5.
Ten Hove and Millen finish one point away from the Medal Race
In 49erFX, Ali ten Hove (Kingston, ON) and Mariah Millen (Toronto, ON) missed the top 10 and qualifying for the Medal Race by only one point to finish the competition in 11th spot.
ÛÏIt was five days of great racing against the top teams in the world,Û said the two teammates who, through their 15 races this week, came up with eight top-10 results, including two third-place and two fourth-place finishes. ÛÏWe missed the Medal Race by just one point, but we are really happy with the progress we are making as a team. We are focused on the little things and we are improving our skills each race. We are leaving this event happy and hungry for more.Û
In ILCA 7, Fillah Karim from Vancouver, B.C., was the best of the 10 Canadians in action with a 28th-place result overall.
ÛÏIÛªm happy to end this European stint on a positive note with my personal best result at an event of this caliber,Û said Fillah Karim. ÛÏThere have been a lot of changes recently with Andrew Lewis being brought in as the ILCA 7 Canadian team coach and the formation of a strong group of Canadian Laser sailors now working together. It is great to see that these collaborations are bringing us in the right direction as we look towards the upcoming World Championship in Mexico.Û
Full results are available at https://sof.ffvoile.fr/.
Canadian results at the French Olympic Week competition in Hy̬res, FRA
ILCA 6 (/65)
5. Sarah Douglas (Toronto, ON, ABYC)
39. Clara Gravely (Toronto, ON, ABYC)
46. Maura Dewey ÛÒ (Victoria, B.C., RVYC)
50. Coralie Vittecoq ÛÒ (MontrÌ©al, QC, Pointe-Claire YC/BLBC)
49erFX (/38)
11. Ali ten Hove (Kingston, ON) & Mariah Millen (Toronto, ON) ÛÒ Kingston YC/RCYC
ILCA 7 (/129)
28. Fillah Karim (Vancouver, B.C., RVYC)
46. Luke Ruitenberg (St. MargaretÛªs Bay, N.S., RNSYS)
62. Ryan Anderson (Halifax, N.S., RNSYS)
66. James Juhasz (Oakville, ON, BHYC)
82. Forrest Wachholz (Innisfil, ON, Barrie YC)
106. Liam Bruce (Oakville, ON, Port Credit YC)
109. Ben Flower (Tobermory, ON, Tobermory YC)
118. Ian Elliott (Victoria, B.C. RVYC/HKKK/MKS)
121. Francis Charland (Ì_le Cadieux, QC, CVDM)
126. Kofi Dinel (Montr̩al, QC, BLBC)
More details are available on Sail Canada website ÌÊ www.sailing.ca.
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
