Paris 2024: Israel takes Windsurfer Gold

Marseille, France (August 3, 2024) – The Men’s Windsurfer is one of 10 Sailing events held at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Using the iQFOiL equipment, 24 nations competed in the 13-race Opening Series on July 28-August 1, with the top 10 advancing to the Medal Series on August 2. When light air prevailed that day, the knock-out format was postponed to today to finalize the results. Here’s the final report:

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Event details – Results – Notice Board

Tom Reuveny picked up a gold medal for Israel with a phenomenal performance in the Final. Reuveny had not won a race in the Opening Series, but saved his best for last by crossing the line ahead of the pack.

The Netherland’s Luuc van Opzeeland and Great Britain’s Sam Sills qualified for the Semi-Final race with fast finishes in the Quarter-Final. Van Opzeeland followed that up with another stellar showing in the Semi-Final, winning the race to qualify for the Final. Reuveny was a close second, booking himself a spot in the grand finale.

The duo joined Australia’s Grae Morris – winner of the Opening Series –  in the final race, which Reuveny eventually mastered, soaring past the others to pick up a gold medal.

“I have so many emotions,” shared Reuveny. “I’ve put in so many years of hard work and I had the perfect Medal Race. I only had to win one race in this event and I won the most important one. I knew I had to get a good start as Luuc and Grae are super-fast. I used what I learnt throughout the years and all the medal races that I’ve lost to make this one into a win.”

Australia – Silver
“That was an epic race, super fun,” said Morris. “I was pretty nervous before, but the longer we waited the more I settled and thought about what we were going to do. It’s going to be a while before we get to experience this again and I think the wait made it worth it.

“I made a few mistakes and just tried to keep my head clear and take my next opportunity to do what I could. I took everything I’ve done, everything I’ve trained for, and put it into that moment. It could have gone better, but I’m super happy so no regrets at all.”

Netherlands – Bronze
“I’m pretty stoked about winning two races to get to the final,” noted Van Opzeeland. “I had a bit of overspeed today. I managed to have clear starts and accelerate away.

“In the first race I rounded first and then there was less wind for me than the guys behind me, but I managed to do a good layline there. In the second race I managed to control the whole thing.

“I think the Netherlands has a very strong team and we have sailors sitting at home that would have done fantastic here. That’s the reason why we’re so good.”

USA shows potential
Noah Lyons entered the Olympics as an unfinished product, with more distance to go before hitting his ceiling. He hit his goal of finishing in the top ten, ending each day of the Opening Series between fourth and seventh in the standings. His regatta ended when he stumbled in the Quarter-Final, dropping him from seventh to ninth.

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Final Results:
1. Tom Reuveny (ISR)
2. Grae Morris (AUS)
3. Luuc van Opzeeland (NED)
9. Noah Lyons (USA)

Event details – Results – Notice Board

Source: World Sailing