Friday with mixed emotions at 55th Semaine Olympique Française of Hyèresevent including the Last Chance Regatta 2024a pre-Olympic sailing tournament which offers the last passes in view of the Paris 2024 Games. Italy has in fact collected a brilliant double in the 470 mixed, thus conquering the spot already secured yesterday, while in 49er men’s acrobatic double, the Azzurri will have to hope for the repechage.
Let’s go in order. The combination composed of Giacomo Ferrari-Alessandra Dubbini won the Medal Race, obtaining a total of 30 points (23 net), regulating his compatriots Elena Festa-Bruno Festosecond with 56 (43 net) ahead of the Slovaks Rina Mrak and Jacob Bozic, on the lowest step of the podium with 54 (45 net). The latter were awarded the pass together with the Greek team composed of Ariadne-Paraskevi Spanaki-Odysseas-Emmanoulif Spanakisfourth with 70 (53 net), and to the Turks Lara Nalbantoglu-Deniz Cinarfifth with 84 points (69 net).
In the 49er mockery for Simone Ferrarese and Leonardo Chistè, got entangled in an intricate regulatory framework. In fact, the Azzurri closed the match in sixth position with 143 points (125 net). The first three positions (therefore the first three Olympic spots) were instead conquered by the Germans Jacob Meggendorfer-Andreas Sprangertriumphant with 122 (88 net), by the Belgian athletes Yannick Lefèbvre-Jan Heunincksecond with 114 (91 net), and by the Brazilians Marco Soffiatti Gravel-Gabriel Silva Simoesthird with 116 points (95 net).
Sailing, Last Chance Regatta: Italy’s Olympic pass in the 470 mixed is official! No qualification (for now) for the 49ers
In fourth and fifth place were two other Teutonic teams, namely Fabian Rieger-Tom Heinrichfourth with 139 total points (120 net), e Max Stingele-Linov Scheel, fifth with 158 points (124 net). However, according to the regulations, the fourth Olympic card available must be assigned not on the basis of the progression of the ranking, but rather to the nation considered “in the developing phase” (in English “Developing Nation”) highest in the ranking, which is why flying to Paris will be Hong Kongthanks to the sixth place of Akira Sakai-Russel Ayslworth with 149 points (126 net). Italy’s hopes of qualifying are not over yet: the blue team is in fact the first of those excluded, ready to be drawn back in case of withdrawal by one of the three Nations that qualified in Hyères.
