#annalisemurphy – Peaking on home waters to win European Gold a month ago, Annalise Murphy had to be content with 23rd overall today at the Laser Worlds in Rizhao, China.

The regatta produced an interesting podium line-up as not one of the top five sailors from the 2012 Olympics medalled. China's own Olympic Gold medallist Lijia Xu managed to scrape into the top 10 finishing in 9th overall. After the six days of competition it was Croatia's Tina Mihelic that took the Senior World title adding to her ISAF Youth World title from 2008.

Annalise has a strong winter programme to further improve her skills for the 2014 season and will no doubt be keen to work on her light air speeds.

The light, steady breeze of between 6 to 8 knots coupled with the swell and waves made the Rizhao event more suited to specialists of those conditions rather than those that perform across a range of conditions.

The results clearly show that the young sailors coming through the ranks will be challenging the established pecking order all the way to Rio.

There was also a resurrection in the form of the once dominant, 2005 World Champion Paige Railey (USA) who picked up a Bronze medal.

The event draws to a close what has been an outstanding 2013 season for 23 year old Annalise Murphy who took home a total of three Gold medals and one Bronze. Murphy began her winning streak in May when she claimed her first medal of the year, a Gold, at the Italian Open Week. That followed quickly by yet another Gold medal in May at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Holland. Returning to the London Games host venue in Weymouth in June, Murphy scooped up a Bronze and then most recently won her final 2013 Gold medal at the Laser Radial European Championship in September.

Murphy will compete in up to six major regattas in 2014 but the main focus will be the ISAF World Championship taking place in Santander, Spain next September. This will be the first opportunity to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

In the finals of the Laser Radial Worlds in Scotland yesterday two of Ireland's three reps in the Women's division are racing in the gold fleet. Finland's defending champion stepped further clear of the chasing pack today when she sailed to a well earned fifth place from another difficult race on the Clyde off Largs. Both Women's and Men's current title holders lead their championships. Ireland's AnnaLise Murphy of the National YC is 26th and Tiffany Brien of Belfast Lough is 35th. Debbie Hannah, also of Belfast, is eighth in the silver division. 

As the women's fleet entered the Finals phase today there was little in the way of extra cooperation from the fickle and shifty breezes which finally thwarted all attempts to complete the scheduled two races when the easterly expired to nothing.

Try as might we can't pick out an Irish sail but there are three here somewhere. Photo: Marc Turner/RYA

Multala's fifth gives her a seven points advantage over the young Dutch sailor Marit Bouwmeester who sailed to an eighth today.

In the Men's fleet, racing on the adjacent race area, conditions were just as tricky as evidenced when Poland's Marcin Rudawski broke his erstwhile perfect string of wins with a seventh place, but the 2009 title holder goes forward to the Men's Finals with a margin of six points.

When the fleets set off in the morning in a promising NW'ly breeze which was not showing on most of the forecasts, then perhaps that was a foresight of what was likely to happen. Early sunshine was the bonus, but after an initial rain shower the Men got away best in the westerly breeze which perhaps mustered all of six knots. The women took longer to get their start away as the breeze swung around.

But the dark clouds over Largs town soon took effect, shifting the breeze around in direction, developing holes and areas of light pressure.
On the first downwind for the Women's gold fleet, the breeze died nearly completely and on the second upwind the extra pressure had started to push in, finally true to the forecast from east, but when it did come in, the course ended slightly skewed.
Indeed on the final beat the wind had finally clocked through the best part of 100 degrees since the start direction.

With three races now planned for Tuesday, the penultimate day, Multala's sights are set firmly on just repeating the same kind of consistent assured strategies that have served her well so far.
"I think I have become more steady as a sailor, better able to sail in whatever comes along, and I can perform well no matter what the conditions are." Remarked the Finnish sailor, 32, who won the world title across a breezy regatta in Japan last year in the late afternoon sunshine.

China's Dongshuang Zhang read the big advantage to the left on the first beat, where there was more wind pressure, and won the women's race with a lead of about 200 metres over Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), the Olympic gold medallist and Paige Railey (USA) in third.  Railey holds third overall with France's Sarah Steyaert in fourth.

Laser Radial Womens World Championship
Gold Flight Overall After race 6 Inc. 1 discard
1 S Multala (FIN)  4,3,1,(49),2,5, Nett = 15pts,
2 M Bouwmeester (NED) 2,1,5,(7),6,8,= 22pts,
3 P Railey (USA) 3,1,4,16,(17),3 = 27pts,
4  S Steyaert (FRA) 23,4,1,3(DSQ [58),4, = 35pts,
5 T Drozdovskaya (BLR) 1,5,14,3,(32),13, = 36pts,
6 T Mihelic (CRO) 15,8,3,8,(35),6, = 40pts,
7 A Tunnicliffe (USA) 1,2,37,(49),5,2, = 47pts,
8  E Van Acker (BEL) 6,11,(21),14,1,15, = 47pts,
9 G Scheidt (LTU) 13,19,2,4,(40),11, = 49pts,
10 M de Kerangat (FRA) 18,7,15,5,(19),10 = 55pts,

Silver Flight, Overall After Race 6 inc. 1discard.
1 R Yuan  (CHN) 9,(18),3,8,5,1, Nett = 26pts,
2 C Gjerpen (NOR) 13,1,2,15,(21),2 = 33pts,
3 C Martin (GBR) 4,5,1,(10),8,16,44 = 34pts,
4 J Maksymiuk (POL) 10,15,7,(DSQ[32]),1,3 = 36pts,
5 N Szymczyk (POL) 3,4,(24),3,19,9 = 38pts,

Laser Radial Mens World Championship 2010
Overall After Race 6 Inc. 1 Discard
1 M Rudawski (POL) 1,2,1,1,1,(7), Nett = 6pts,
2 W Zemke (POL) 1,1,2,1,7,(OCS[48]), = 12pts,
3 M Kiss (USA) 4,10,3,(29),2,2, = 21pts ,
4 B Koppelaar (NED)  9,4,1,(37),4,4, = 35pts,
5 I Kim (KOR) ,5,8,4,2,(32),16, = 35pts,

In Quotes:

Sari Multala (FIN): "It was variable, a bit challenging really. The first upwind was OK, it was still quite steady but then the wind started to die first, then shift to the right slowly. And then in the end it had gone around about 180 degrees. But it was always quite obvious something was happening to the right because there was some really dark clouds but it juts took a while until the wind reached us, we were close to the second top mark by then and so the top sailors were pretty much OK by that stage.  I was in the top ten and then I came up a few places on the second upwind because I saw the line of breeze coming across on the right and got there before some other girls ."
" Overall for me it is still about getting steady, good result for me in the top flight.
Today was a bit strange for sure, but many places get a bit strange on some days. But certainly it is a bit different to how it was when we were training here. Then it was a lot steadier."
"For me if they do more than two races tomorrow it is really just about focussing on staying solid."
" I think I have become more steady, more regular and can perform well no matter what the conditions are. I hope that comes with the training, and maybe some of it is age and experience."

Tina Mihelic (CRO): "It was really hard to sail. The wind was changing a lot. The first upwind was still OK, but the first downwind the wind dropped and I thought they would abandon it, but then in the upwind the wind changed 30 or 40 degrees to the right and then we started to hike and I thought it was going to be OK, but then the last downwind it was reaching and on the reaching it was upwind.
But overall I did OK, I lost a couple of places because of a wind shift. Sixth for me is OK just now."

Sarah Steyaert (FRA): " It was shifty. The wind was NW and then it turned to the east but because I was good on the first upwind and downwind then I was OK. I just really had to be aware. Once you were in the top group there you could be OK. I have a disqualification from the jury which I am looking to get reopened but that is not good for me. I had a protest against me which I did not know. So I did not go to the hearing and so hopefully it can be reopened tonight."

Racing Schedule

Laser Radial Women's and Men's World Championships

Qualification Series                      Friday 9th to Sunday 11th July
Final Series                                  Monday 12th to Wednesday 14th July
Prize Giving                                 Wednesday 14th July