Results for the FW Asian Championships stand after 4 races. Overall winner is Sean O’Brien (AUS 120). Second placed overall and Asian Champion is Wang Yew Pang (SIN 0). [more]
The forecast was not good for the final day of the Asian Championships. An overnight storm cleared the air but left the event becalmed for the morning. The wind started to improve, but remained at 5/6 knots over the whole course area – no hope of racing.
The Windsurfing Association of Singapore cannot be faulted for their organisation and have looked after the competitors very well. Also happening over the weekend the SIM championship – a student event, with four clubs competing for prizes in 4 categories. They may be novice racers, but also very enthusiastic, and prove it is not too late to start competitive windsurfing when you attend college or university.
Unfortunately nothing to report on day three. The wind began the day in the wrong direction and stayed very light throughout the day.
On day two the first race start had to be abandoned. However, the wind picked up a lot after lunch enabling two good races. Sean O’Brien has a perfect score and leads by 4 points over his nearest rival Wang Yew Pang from Singapore. Matthieu Lauras from France is in third place but on the same points as Harold Ma from Singapore so a good battle between these two for bronze. GBR’s Chris Newman had a good day with two seconds – one to watch perhaps?
Today marks the start of the SIM 31st Singapore Open Asian Windsurfing Championships. The championships went off to a great start with North Easterly winds between 8 to 12 knots.Planing conditions ensured that everyone started way before the line, and as expected Sean O’Brien passing the start line first. However, as the competitors made their way to the 3rd mark, the race was forced to be called off as wind speeds dropped significantly.
The wind picked up over the next hour, and the 2nd race was able to start in 12 – 15 knots of wind. However, the wind was extremely shifty and that saw a few competitors thrown off their boards. Sean O’Brien did not have a great start but eventually sailed his way to first with a comfortable lead at the end as he took advantage of the shifting winds to overtake Yew Pang.
The final race of the day saw consistent wind speeds and end of day score stands at Sean with 2 bullets and local favorite Wang Yew Pang in 2nd place.
Sean O’Brien – You can read his blog on the trip so far, and the event reports on:
EVENT REPORT
