Marseille ready for new competitions, traditional dominance-Xinhua

Britain will aim to prove their mastery again in sailing at the Paris Olympics, while iQFoiL has been included as a new foiling windsurfing class.

PARIS, July 21 (Xinhua) — The sailing events of the Paris Olympics, scheduled from July 28 to August 8, promise to be thrilling with perfect weather conditions and new competitions debuting. European and Oceanian athletes are expected to maintain their traditional dominance at Marseille Marina.

The competition will feature 10 gold medals with some significant changes: the men’s and women’s 470 classes have been merged into a mixed event, RS has been replaced by iQFoiL, and kiteboarding has been added. The men’s Laser, women’s Laser Radial, men’s 49er, women’s 49er FX, and mixed Nacra 17 events remain unchanged.

Great Britain, which topped the sailing medal table at the Tokyo Olympics with three golds, one silver and one bronze, aim to prove their mastery again. Along with France and Germany, Great Britain has qualified a boat in all 10 events at the Paris Olympics.

China, Italy, Spain and the United States each have nine places. At the Tokyo Olympics, aside from China’s one gold and one bronze in RS windsurfing and Brazil’s gold in the women’s 49er FX, European and Oceanian countries claimed the remaining medals.

In the men’s double-handed skiff, Dutch sailors Bart Lambriex and Floris van de Werken are favorites for gold, boasting three consecutive 49er world championships titles. France’s Erwan Fischer and Clement Pequin are also strong podium contenders.

Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz of the Netherlands aim to continue their winning streak after securing gold in the women’s 49er FX world championships and dominating the Paris 2024 test event.

Australia’s Matt Wearn targets his second Olympic gold in the men’s single-handed dinghy ILCA 7. Following his Tokyo triumph, he has won two consecutive world championships, solidifying his position among the top ILCA sailors.

Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark is poised for another impressive performance in the ILCA 6 event in Marseille. The Tokyo gold medalist will face tough competition from four-time world champion Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands.

A new addition to the Paris Olympics is the foiling windsurfing class, iQFoiL. Italy’s current world champion Nicolo Renna and Germany’s Sebastian Koerdel are strong contenders for gold.

In the women’s iQFoiL, Great Britain’s Emma Wilson seeks her first Olympic gold after taking bronze in the RS class in Tokyo. She recently got silver at the world championships in Spain’s Canary Islands.

Italy has high hopes in the Nacra 17 mixed multihull event with Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, who have won back-to-back world championships and are favorites for the gold at Paris 2024.

The mixed team format in the 470 class will also be exciting to watch. World champions Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman of Spain have shown excellent form in 2024, while France’s Camille Lecointre and Jeremie Mion are strong medal prospects.

In kiteboarding, 17-year-old Maximilian Maeder of Singapore aims for gold in his Olympic debut, having successfully defended his world championship title in Hyeres in May.

Hosts France pin their hopes on Lauriane Nolot, who has claimed the Formula Kite title at both the world championships and the Paris 2024 Test Event. Before Nolot’s rise, American Daniela Moroz, despite being only 23, was the dominant force with six world titles. ■