Brockbank & Andersen finish 9th @ World Championships
Coaches and Race Officers were apprehensive as to whether there would be racing, due to adverse weather conditions for the Championships but Denmark delivered and a full complement was races was held on schedule.
Brockbank and Andersen had a mixed first day, garnering the most success in race 2 where the conditions were offshore, 6-12 knots and building, with flat water and the wind was very shifty.
There was no pattern to the breeze, so teams had to find clear water and then work with the wind they got.
Andersen and Brockbank had a big lead during the race but lost the wind at a crucial stage and finished 4th. In the days other races they had an 11th and a 8th place finish to sit 11th overall out of 44 boats at the end of day one.
Day 2 brought more good performances as the pair looked to build towards their ultimate goal of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
“With two races left before the medal races we sit one point out of the top ten in 11th. We've sailed relatively consistent over these last three days and are looking to make moves and claim a spot in the big show tomorrow” stated the pair ahead of the final day.
In what turned out to be the last race of the Championships, Brockbank and Andersen were confidant of making a flying start to their European odyssey, but despite a fourth place finish they had to settle for 9th overall.
“We took a 4th in the only race of the day to jump into the top 10, but unfortunately no medal races we're sailed so we couldn't move up any more! After not having raced since March, we weren't sure what to expect here in Aarhus, Denmark. We come away very satisfied with our result and are very excited for Europeans in Helsinki next week!”
The bigger picture, though, is the pair’s determination to represent, and ultimately win a medal for, the Virgin Islands at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games of Sailing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the Men’s Skiff- 49er class. “In addition to carrying out our personal goals of competing at the highest level of International sport, we also hope to encourage a new generation of youth sailors, and athletes alike, to find a passion in competitive sport in the Territory,” they said.
In order to qualify for the Sailing Olympics, any competitor must first secure a berth in their respective class for their country. Once a country has earned a berth, they have national trials to determine who will represent the nation. As for Anderson/Brockbank, there is no other competition in the Virgin Islands, so competing at the Games requires that the duo earn a berth at either Olympic qualifier.
There are a total of three qualifying opportunities for the 2016 Rio Games at the World Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Where the number of berths varies across classes, the 49er class typically consists of 20 berths. In the first qualifying event (Santander 2014), fifty percent of the berths will be allocated. In other words, ten out of twenty berths in the 49er class will be taken.
At each of the World Championships of 2015 and 2016, the following twenty five percent of the berths will be allocated. This would mean the last chance to qualify would be within months of the Games.
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