Shanghai-based Xu defies penalty for sailing gold
Source: AFP |
August 7, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Xu Lijia of China was so strong in the women's Laser Radial that she won the gold medal yesterday despite having to do a penalty turn on the first downwind leg.
Xu, who won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, quickly rebounded from being penalized for rocking the boat and opened a comfortable lead sailing on the Nothe Course on Weymouth Bay.
The medals race came down to four sailors with a chance at gold. Xu, Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands, Annalise Murphy of Ireland and Evi Van Acker of Belgium came into the final race separated by only one point. That meant that whoever within that group finished first would win the gold.
Shanghai-based Xu finished nine seconds ahead of Bouwmeester, who took the silver. Van Acker took third for the bronze.
Shortly after the finish, Xu stood on her boat and waved the Chinese flag.
"I didn't have a very good start so tacked to the right - I know where my strengths are. I made the most of everything today," said Xu. "I am proud of the gold, especially as I'm in Britain, because Britain and European countries are good and I want to take this experience back to China so more can experience the beauty of this sailing."
Murphy finished fourth and failed to win a medal after winning the first four races, including three in which she led at every mark.
American Paige Railey finished sixth in the medals race and eighth overall. She had no chance at a medal.
The 2008 gold medalist, Anna Tunnicliffe of the United States, moved up to the women's match racing for these games.
In the men's event, four-time world champion Tom Slingsby took the gold, banishing the demons of his failure in Beijing in 2008 and succeeding after 12 years of preparation.
The Australian raced calmly to victory in the medal race on the Nothe course, comfortably leaving his nearest rival Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus well behind.
Kontides took silver and the honor of winning his country's first ever medal at the Olympics after 25 years as an independent sporting nation.
Rasmus Myrgren fought off the Croation challenge of Tonci Stipanovic to win bronze and a second sailing medal for Sweden following its gold in the Star class on Sunday.
Xu, who won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, quickly rebounded from being penalized for rocking the boat and opened a comfortable lead sailing on the Nothe Course on Weymouth Bay.
The medals race came down to four sailors with a chance at gold. Xu, Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands, Annalise Murphy of Ireland and Evi Van Acker of Belgium came into the final race separated by only one point. That meant that whoever within that group finished first would win the gold.
Shanghai-based Xu finished nine seconds ahead of Bouwmeester, who took the silver. Van Acker took third for the bronze.
Shortly after the finish, Xu stood on her boat and waved the Chinese flag.
"I didn't have a very good start so tacked to the right - I know where my strengths are. I made the most of everything today," said Xu. "I am proud of the gold, especially as I'm in Britain, because Britain and European countries are good and I want to take this experience back to China so more can experience the beauty of this sailing."
Murphy finished fourth and failed to win a medal after winning the first four races, including three in which she led at every mark.
American Paige Railey finished sixth in the medals race and eighth overall. She had no chance at a medal.
The 2008 gold medalist, Anna Tunnicliffe of the United States, moved up to the women's match racing for these games.
In the men's event, four-time world champion Tom Slingsby took the gold, banishing the demons of his failure in Beijing in 2008 and succeeding after 12 years of preparation.
The Australian raced calmly to victory in the medal race on the Nothe course, comfortably leaving his nearest rival Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus well behind.
Kontides took silver and the honor of winning his country's first ever medal at the Olympics after 25 years as an independent sporting nation.
Rasmus Myrgren fought off the Croation challenge of Tonci Stipanovic to win bronze and a second sailing medal for Sweden following its gold in the Star class on Sunday.
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