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Thought I'd pop a thread in here. Not sure how many will be watching but sometimes we get a bit of interest towards the end of the regatta if Australians are in the mix for medals.
There are 10 sailing events at Paris 2024
Men's ICLA 7 Dinghy
Start here because this is probably Australia's best medal chance. Australia has had a mortage on this event since London 2012 with Tom Slingsby, Tom Burton and Matt Wearn winning successive gold. Wearn is the hot favourite to defend his title, having won gold at the last 2 World Championships and also the Olympics test event.
Wearn will likely face his strongest competition from Cypriot veteran Pavlos Kontides (memorably taking silver behind Slingsby in London) and Brit Micky Beckett (second behind Wearn at last year's Worlds, and runner-up in the test event).
Women's ICLA 6 Dinghy
Defending gold medallist Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) is the woman to beat here. She is in good form after winning the worlds, but lost to Marit Brouwmeester (NED) in a boilover at the test event. Emma Plasschart (BEL) is also one to watch, as she has had good results without breaking through recently.
Australia's representative in this event is Zoe Thomson, who is a very good young sailor from WA but inexperienced at the top level. She will probably be targeting a top-10 finish, and if she gets it that would be an outstanding result at this point in her career.
Men's 49er Skiff
This event is all about the battle between the great Dutch crew of Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken (who dominated the class from 2021 to 2023 with three straight world championships), and the tearaway French pair of Erwan Fischer and Clement Pequin (who pipped them at the post at this year's worlds). Fischer and Pequin will be loving the conditions in Marseilles, and with home water advantage they will be liking their chances. The Spanish team (Diego Botin and Florien Trittel) will also be in strong contention.
The Australian team is Jim Colley and Shaun Connor, who are not part of the first tier of contenders but have had some strong results (notably a silver at the 2023 Olympic Week, a major French regatta). With some good sailing and some good luck, they are in with an outside chance for a medal.
Women's 49erFX Skiff
This event is likely to be a very intriguing battle. The Brazilian pair of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze are chasing their third gold in this event, but their form has been patchy in more recent times. Chasing them are a bunch of European teams who are likely to revel in the light conditions forecast for Marsailles. Most notable are the Dutch (Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz, reigning world champions), Swedes (Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler, 2023 world champs and runners up this year), and Norwegians (Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen, strong winners at a stacked 2023 European Championships). The French pair (Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon) should also enjoy their home waters.
The Australian pair in this event are Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine. Price is a former silver medallist (Elliots match-racing at London 2012). They have been in and around the top 10 and snatched bronze at the Worlds last year, but prefer heavier conditions than forecast so probably an outside chance for a medal.
Mixed 470 Dinghy
The Spanish pair of Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman are the reigning world champions in this event, and the team to beat. The French pair of Camille Lecointre and Jeremie Mion will fancy their chances, having won the test event. The British (Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube) and Japanese (Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka) rounded out the podium behind the Spanish at the Worlds, and should also be in the mix.
Australians have a strong record in the 470 class, with 6 medals at previous events, but this is the first time the classes have been merged into a mixed event. Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas are our representatives and although good sailors, probably not in medal contention.
Other Classes
I don't know much about the contenders in other classes, but here is a rundown of the Australian chances as I understand them (hopefully someone else can flesh these out):
There are 10 sailing events at Paris 2024
- Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
- Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
- Men’s Kite – Formula Kite
- Women’s Kite – Formula Kite
- Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 (aka Laser full rig)
- Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 (aka Laser Radial)
- Men’s Skiff – 49er
- Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
- Mixed Dinghy - 470
- Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17
Men's ICLA 7 Dinghy
Start here because this is probably Australia's best medal chance. Australia has had a mortage on this event since London 2012 with Tom Slingsby, Tom Burton and Matt Wearn winning successive gold. Wearn is the hot favourite to defend his title, having won gold at the last 2 World Championships and also the Olympics test event.
Wearn will likely face his strongest competition from Cypriot veteran Pavlos Kontides (memorably taking silver behind Slingsby in London) and Brit Micky Beckett (second behind Wearn at last year's Worlds, and runner-up in the test event).
Women's ICLA 6 Dinghy
Defending gold medallist Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) is the woman to beat here. She is in good form after winning the worlds, but lost to Marit Brouwmeester (NED) in a boilover at the test event. Emma Plasschart (BEL) is also one to watch, as she has had good results without breaking through recently.
Australia's representative in this event is Zoe Thomson, who is a very good young sailor from WA but inexperienced at the top level. She will probably be targeting a top-10 finish, and if she gets it that would be an outstanding result at this point in her career.
Men's 49er Skiff
This event is all about the battle between the great Dutch crew of Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken (who dominated the class from 2021 to 2023 with three straight world championships), and the tearaway French pair of Erwan Fischer and Clement Pequin (who pipped them at the post at this year's worlds). Fischer and Pequin will be loving the conditions in Marseilles, and with home water advantage they will be liking their chances. The Spanish team (Diego Botin and Florien Trittel) will also be in strong contention.
The Australian team is Jim Colley and Shaun Connor, who are not part of the first tier of contenders but have had some strong results (notably a silver at the 2023 Olympic Week, a major French regatta). With some good sailing and some good luck, they are in with an outside chance for a medal.
Women's 49erFX Skiff
This event is likely to be a very intriguing battle. The Brazilian pair of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze are chasing their third gold in this event, but their form has been patchy in more recent times. Chasing them are a bunch of European teams who are likely to revel in the light conditions forecast for Marsailles. Most notable are the Dutch (Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz, reigning world champions), Swedes (Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler, 2023 world champs and runners up this year), and Norwegians (Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen, strong winners at a stacked 2023 European Championships). The French pair (Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon) should also enjoy their home waters.
The Australian pair in this event are Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine. Price is a former silver medallist (Elliots match-racing at London 2012). They have been in and around the top 10 and snatched bronze at the Worlds last year, but prefer heavier conditions than forecast so probably an outside chance for a medal.
Mixed 470 Dinghy
The Spanish pair of Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman are the reigning world champions in this event, and the team to beat. The French pair of Camille Lecointre and Jeremie Mion will fancy their chances, having won the test event. The British (Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube) and Japanese (Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka) rounded out the podium behind the Spanish at the Worlds, and should also be in the mix.
Australians have a strong record in the 470 class, with 6 medals at previous events, but this is the first time the classes have been merged into a mixed event. Nia Jerwood and Conor Nicholas are our representatives and although good sailors, probably not in medal contention.
Other Classes
I don't know much about the contenders in other classes, but here is a rundown of the Australian chances as I understand them (hopefully someone else can flesh these out):
- Mixed Nacra 17 Multihull: Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown were surprise qualifiers and are not really expected to be in the hunt for medals, a top-10 result would be outstanding for them.
- Men's iQfoil Windsurfer: Grae Morris is 20 years old and has achieved some outstanding results in the last 12 months, including a close second at his last regatta after leading into the final race. Definitely a dark horse but probably more likely a star of the future.
- Women's Formula Kite: Breiana Whitehead is ranked 4th in the world and comes into the event with extremely strong form. A very good chance for a medal.
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