Breeze on to start French Olympic Week

Hyères, France (April 25, 2022) – The second event of the Olympic European circuit got underway as the 53rd Semaine Olympique Française (French Olympic Week) welcomed a field of 751 sailors from over 50 countries for competition in the Paris 2024 Olympic events.

“We’re grateful to have another event so soon after Palma,” said US Team 470 athlete Louisa Nordstrom. “We left the Princess Sofia Regatta with many good takeaways. Hyeres is a great opportunity to apply lessons learned and have another go with the international fleet.”

After missing two years because of COVID-19, offshore westerly winds of 15-20 knots and a choppy sea state, more so on the more the easterly courses with less protection from the bay and Îles d’Or, as well as wind gusts between 25-30, kept everyone on their toes.

Both the world and sailing have changed since the last Semaine Olympique Française in 2019. The 10 classes that will be contested in Marseille for Paris 2024 were in Hyères – which is just 50 miles west down the coast – for the first time. And it was flight time for the five foiling classes on show.

“We haven’t seen the SOF for three years, so it’s great to have all the classes and it’s a first regatta for the iQFOiL in Hyères!” noted Hélène Noesmoen, France’s iQFOiL World and European Champion. Noesmoen confirmed her total dominance by winning all five of the races. Fellow Frenchwoman, Delphine Cousin, lies in second but it looked as if there were two separate races being run, Noesmoen and the rest.

France likes the the new foiling windsurfer as Nicolas Goyard, who like compatriot Noesmoen, is the World and European champion, but unlike her didn’t have it all his own way in the men’s event. He finished the day in second behind fellow Frenchman Clément Bourgeois after their five races. Thomas Goyard, Nicolas’ older brother and silver medalist in the now replaced RS:X event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is lying in fourth.

“Today was a very windy day, I think we are all shattered; the triceps and the thighs have had a good workout,” Nicolas Goyard said. “For my part, I didn’t have a single really clean race without a lot of mistakes. I stayed well-placed, but I had the speed potential to do much better. But it’s my comeback, it’s been three months since my last regatta.”

The quality of competition throughout the fleets was immediately demonstrated at the start of the day in the men’s ILCA 7, where Matthew Wearn, Australia’s Olympic champion, and Philipp Buhl, Germany’s 2020 World Champion, traded wins at the head of a lead group that dominated both races.

“I like Hyères and I prefer a windy Hyères to a soft Hyères,” said Buhl, who has particular reason to have a soft spot for Hyères, said. “It’s a special place for me because it was my first junior European title in 2007, and my first European Cup here in 2008.

“I did my first World Cup Medal Race here in 2009 and ten years ago, in 2012, I had my first ever World Cup win here – it’s quite funny to look at the results seeing Tom Burton, Slingsby – Matthew Wearn was in the fleet. So, I have some very good memories.”

Event details – Results – Facebook

The 53rd Semaine Olympique Française (French Olympic Week) is on April 25-30, 2022.

MORE: For the North American contingent, Canadian Sarah Douglas started well in the ILCA 6 (3rd), Mexico’s Mariana Aguilar Chavez Peon is the best in the iQFoil (13th), while the US Team is led by Daniela Moroz (1st, Formula Kite) Steph Roble/ Maggie Shea (2nd, 49erFX), Nevin Snow/ Mac Agnese (3rd, 49er), and Sarah Newberry/ David Liebenberg (10th, Nacra 17).