Renee Groeneveld (NED) the new leader of the ISAF Women's World Match Race Rankings. Image © Nico Martinez/41 Trofeo Princesa Sofia MAPFRE.
by ISAF media
The World Match Racing Tour is in full swing, the 2009-10 ISAF Sailing World Cup has finished and the ISAF Women's Match Racing Worlds is right on the horizon and for the northern hemisphere the summer season has seen numerous national championships taking place.
Open Rankings
There is no change at the top of the open rankings as Adam Minoprio (NZL) who has held the position for over a year maintains his lead. Minoprio's most recent win was the thrilling final of the Danish Open when he came back from a 2-0 down deficit to defeat his good friend Torvar Mirsky (AUS). Ben Ainslie (GBR) maintains his position at #2 while fellow Brit and previous #1 ranked helm, Ian Williams returns to the top five at #5.
Jostling for position further down the top ten and Mathieu Richard (FRA), the current World Match Racing Tour leader, moves up to #3 after picking up a win at St Mortiz, making way for Richard is Torvar Mirsky. The regular appearance of Francesco Bruni (ITA) on the Tour see's him return to his career best of #8 after he narrowly missed out on a medal at the Danish Open.
The shock performer on day one of the Danish Open was the USA's Michael Buckley. Ranked at #665 in the world, Buckley and his team took the competition by surprise to win the ISAF Grade 2 Chicago Match Cup which also gave him an invitation to the Danish Open. After a great start, experience showed in Denmark and Buckley finished in twelfth overall but the valuable ranking points he collects sees him leap 444 places up to #213 in the world.
Away from the World Match Racing Tour, the Chicago Match Cup is the first event of the Trifecta of ISAF Grade 2 match racing events in the USA. The second event was the Toyota International Match Race which saw a thrilling final between Dave Perry and Anna Tunnicliffe. The match up between previous coach and student was clinched by Perry who moves six places up the rankings to #37 while Tunnicliffe moves from 120 up to #66, impressive for a sailor also ranked at #5 on the women's rankings. The third event, the Knickerbocker Cup was won by Philip Robertson (NZL) with the overall winner confirmed as Taylor Canfield (ISV). Canfield put in a consistent performance throughout the series, moves up 16 places in the rankings to #30 and earned himself an invitation to the 2011 Congressional Cup.
Back in Europe and Peter Wibroe (DEN) blitzed the Baltic Match Race Tour, which consists of back to back competition in Sweden, Estonia and Finland. Wibroe finihsed second, first and second respectively and climbs 13 places up to #12.
Open Match Race Rankings, 15th September 2010. Image copyright ISAF.
Women's Rankings
With the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship just five days away, Renee Groeneveld (NED) leaps to the top of the women's rankings for a career best. Since joining the rankings in July 2009, Groeneveld has gone from strength to strength. She took her first major victory at Skandia Sail for Gold in 2009 and in 2010 has stood on the podium four times, breaking into the top ten in July. Groeneveld's rise to the #1 position is in part due to the rolling calculation system which means she can now count points from eight regattas instead of seven. She now leads long time #1 skipper Claire Leroy (FRA) by 73 points whilst the toppling previous #1 skipper Lucy MacGregor down to #3 but just one point behind Leroy.
The defending women's world champion, Nicky Souter from Australia has sent a clear signal with her regatta preparation - two ISAF Grade 1 wins at Skandia Sail for Gold and the Buddy Melges Challenge, help Souter and her team move up four places to #4.
Breaking back into the top ten is Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen who won on Lake Ledro at the Grade 1 Trentino Women's Match Race in Italy and narrowly missed out on a medal at the Buddy Melges Challenge. The Danish skipper moves up three places to #10. Also on the rise are Silvia Roca Mata (ESP) who broke into the top 20 at the last ranking release. A bronze medal at the ISAF Grade 1 St Quay Women's Match sees her climb a further four places to #15.
Italian sailors are making their mark on this ranking release with their highest ranked skipper Cristiana Monina returning to the top 20. Monina moves up five places to #18, following a bronze medal at the ISAF Grade 2 Women's Nordic Championship and fourth place at Trentino. Camilla Marino is the biggest climber, moving up 47 places to #66 after wining the silver medal at the Italian Match Race Championships and finishing eighth in Trentino. The bronze at the Italian nations went to Silvia Zennaro who is also the highest new entry to the rankings, this her only regatta to count, sees her enter where Marino left off at #113.
Women's Match Race Rankings, 15th September 2010. Image copyright ISAF.
Winner of the Italian nationals was Federica Wetzl whilst Ekaterina Skudina claimed the Russian title. Silja Lehtinen (FIN) is the new Nordic Champion, taking the gold medal at the ISAF Grade 2 Nordic Championships in Finland.
All eyes now turn to New York where the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championships gets underway on 20 September.
This next release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings will be on 27 October 2010.
ISAF
