Kiwi clinches RS:X Men gold
Thursday, 21 August 2008
QINGDAO, Aug 20 : Tom Ashley of New Zealand snatched the gold medal of RS:X Men at the Olympic Sailing Regatta here Wednesday.
Tom Ashley, also the reigning World Champion, sailed a near flawless medal race. It is the first Olympic gold medal in sailing won by New Zealand since Barbara Kendall's victory in the Women's Windsurfer event at Barcelona 1992.
Placed third into the medal race, Tom Ashley finished second by the first mark and was left behind by Israel at the second mark with a 12-second margin. He maintained his position and sailed steadily to the finishing line, totaling 52 points overall to claim the title.
"I've done it. It's the most incredible feeling and I can't begin to tell you how I feel right now," Ashley said. "It was an insanely tough medal race -- the weather gave us a little bit of everything, but I tried to sail as consistently as I could."
"My feelings this morning were complicated. All the competitors' points were very close. I'm not surprised to see Shahar (of Israel) sitting here. Unfortunately, Nick (of Britain) didn't get any medal, but that's life -- there are only three medals," he said at the press conference.
Frenchman Julien Bontemps finished one place behind Ashley in today's medal race to take silver with 53 points overall.
"This has been my dream since I was a child," said Bontemps, adding that "not only the coaches, but also my whole team, including my physiotherapist, were very supportive of me over the 15 years of my training and trying to win a medal."
Tom Ashley, also the reigning World Champion, sailed a near flawless medal race. It is the first Olympic gold medal in sailing won by New Zealand since Barbara Kendall's victory in the Women's Windsurfer event at Barcelona 1992.
Placed third into the medal race, Tom Ashley finished second by the first mark and was left behind by Israel at the second mark with a 12-second margin. He maintained his position and sailed steadily to the finishing line, totaling 52 points overall to claim the title.
"I've done it. It's the most incredible feeling and I can't begin to tell you how I feel right now," Ashley said. "It was an insanely tough medal race -- the weather gave us a little bit of everything, but I tried to sail as consistently as I could."
"My feelings this morning were complicated. All the competitors' points were very close. I'm not surprised to see Shahar (of Israel) sitting here. Unfortunately, Nick (of Britain) didn't get any medal, but that's life -- there are only three medals," he said at the press conference.
Frenchman Julien Bontemps finished one place behind Ashley in today's medal race to take silver with 53 points overall.
"This has been my dream since I was a child," said Bontemps, adding that "not only the coaches, but also my whole team, including my physiotherapist, were very supportive of me over the 15 years of my training and trying to win a medal."