Erika Reineke injured at SailGP Sydney

Sydney, Australia (February 17, 2023) – With three events remaining in SailGP Season 3, the United States SailGP Team needs to to make up ground to finish in the top three overall for the Grand Final on May 6-7 in San Francisco, CA. Currently sitting 7th in the nine-team field, the 11 point deficit isn’t their only problem.

Strategist Erika Reineke has been sidelined for SailGP Sydney after a misstep yesterday during training resulted in a fractured fibula. “It felt great to be back on the boat with the team,” Reineke said. “We were just getting into the mix with practice when the injury happened.”

During a maneuver, Reineke’s shoe caught in the trampoline as she crossed the F50, resulting in a fall on top of her foot. “I am gutted to not be racing with the team and understand the recovery will take some time, but I’ll be cheering them on from afar and know I’ll be back in action soon.”

With racing on February 18-19, CEO and Driver Jimmy Spithill said losing Reineke is a real blow to the team. “She’s one of the best sailors in the U.S. and a key part of the team. [After the accident] in typical Erika fashion, she basically escaped from the hospital with a leg cast and returned to hang out with the team, making everyone laugh again.”

Spithill compared Reineke’s great sense of humor with their new teammate for the event, Australian reserve athlete Lucy Copeland. Spithill shared that in “typical Aussie fashion, Lucy jumped straight onto the boat and just started ripping into us. I think her first line was, ‘I’m here to help you win races again’.”

This is not the first time the Americans have utilized the SailGP reserve athlete. Earlier this season at the French event, Amélie Riou (FRA) replaced the injured Stephanie Roble, and contributed to the team’s first event win.

The nine international teams face a sporty forecast with winds in the teens and possibly above as they compete amid the enclosed venue of Sydney harbor. Racing takes place in Sydney at 16:00-17:30 AEDT (12:00-1:30am EST).

SailGP information – Australia details – Season 3 scoreboard – YouTube – How to watch

Season Three Standings (after eight of 11 events)
1. Australia (Tom Slingsby), 68 points
2. New Zealand (Peter Burling), 59 points
3. Great Britain (Ben Ainslie), 54 points
4. France (Quintin Delapierre), 53 points
5. Denmark (Nicolai Sehested), 51 points
6. Canada (Phil Robertson), 45 points
7. United States (Jimmy Spithill), 43 points
8. Spain (Jordi Xammar/Diego Botin), 24 points
9. Switzerland (Sebastien Schneiter), 23 points

PENALTIES
• Spain SailGP Team: Docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Plymouth
• Switzerland SailGP Team: Docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Saint-Tropez
• United Stated SailGP Team: Docked four points in Season Championship for eight-point penalty at Saint-Tropez
• New Zealand SailGP Team: Docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Dubai; Docked two points in Season Championship for four-point penalty at Singapore

2022-23 SailGP Season 3 Schedule
May 14-15, 2022 – Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess
June 18-19, 2022 – United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier
July 30-31, 2022 – Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth
August 19-20, 2022 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen
September 10-11, 2022 – France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez
September 24-25, 2022 – Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía – Cádiz
November 12-13, 2022 – Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas
January 14-15, 2023 – Singapore Sail Grand Prix
February 18-19, 2023 – Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney
March 18-19, 2023 – New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch
May 6-7, 2023 – United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final)

Format for 2022-23 SailGP events:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• There are three qualifying races each day for all nine teams.*
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the $300,000 prize money to be split among the top three teams.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all match race for the $1m prize.
* Qualifying schedule increased from five to six races at France SailGP.

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing in some of the iconic harbors around the globe. Rival national teams compete in identical F50 catamarans for event prize money as the season culminates with a $1 million winner-takes-all match race.

Source: SailGP, Scuttlebutt