Pictured: Zach Railey, Finn, US Sailing Team Sperry, in Barcelona, Day Four
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2016
Barcelona, Spain. – The Finn European Championship (March 7-12) is entering its final stages in Barcelona, Spain, and the U.S. Olympic Team Selection Series in the Finn class (Men’s Heavyweight Dinghy) will end on Saturday. Beijing 2008 Olympic silver medalist Zach Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) leads US Sailing Team Sperry (national team) teammate Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) by slim margins in both the regatta and the selection series. The event has been a light-air affair to date, with just four races completed over the first four days of racing.
The experienced Railey remained in position as the top American on Day Four after racing was abandoned, and currently sits in 12th overall. “We’re supoosed to have had eight races by this point in the regatta, so it’s been a struggle so far,” said Railey. “There have been races where parts of the fleet have made huge gains and losses. There’s aren’t many people here without a bad score,” said Railey, who noted that resilience will be a key factor over the next two days. “My performance has been ok. I’ve had to create a couple of regatta-saving comebacks so far to stay in it.”
Paine, the top US Sailing Team Sperry Finn athlete for the past four years, is just seven points back of Railey, and the battle remains tight. “We’ve definitely had some challenging racing,” said Paine. “I didn’t have a great first race, but after that it’s been fairly good. I’m just trying to keep executing the same process each day, and if the weather cooperates, to be ready to go when the time is right.”
Three races are scheduled for Friday, with a discardable “drop race” score coming into play after the fifth race of the series is completed. Saturday will feature one final full-fleet race, plus a medal race for the top ten competitors. Light winds are predicted to remain in Barcelona through the end of the event.
More information can be found on the event website.
Previous Event Reports:
Pictured: Caleb Paine, Finn, US Sailing Team Sperry, in Barcelona, Day Four.
Note: All athletes named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). For more information on the 2016 Laser Radial European Championship, visit the event website.
See Also: Full U.S. Olympic Team Selection Tracker (All Classes)
About the US Sailing Team Sperry
The US Sailing Team Sperry is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team Sperry. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. The title sponsor of the team is Sperry; other sponsors include Gold-Level partner Sunbrella and Silver-Level partners Harken, Team McLube and Groupe Beneteau. Yale Cordage is a team supplier. The US Sailing Center Miami is an Olympic training site. Oakcliff Sailing and Clearwater Community Sailing Center are US Sailing Team Sperry Training Centers. Chubb Personal Insurance and the Gowrie Group sponsors US Sailing’s National Team Tour, a nationwide presentation program for US Sailing Team Sperry athletes. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org
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Press Contact: Will Ricketson, Olympic Communications Manager, US Sailing. willricketson@ussailing.org, +1 (978) 697-2384.
