The British sailors Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark will have to wait one more day to claim gold after officials decided it was not windy enough to run the women’s 470 Olympic final.
The pair were poised to sail to victory on Thursday but the Brazilian breeze had other ideas. For more than three hours the women bobbed about in Guanabara Bay, waiting to be given the green light, only for commissaires to decide that the seas were too calm. The sailors passed their time by sunbathing on their dinghies and looking over at the judge’s boat to see if there was enough wind to crack on.
It was an agonising afternoon for the British pair. Like their team-mate Giles Scott, who took gold in the Finn class on Tuesday, they were guaranteed a place on the podium’s top spot even if they came last in the final. They went into the last race with such a lead that none of their rivals could touch them. A 20-point advantage over their nearest competitors meant gold was inevitable, as long as they did not sink or get disqualified.
The final is now scheduled for 1.05pm local time on Friday if the weather plays ball. There is light rain and breeze forecast for tomorrow afternoon.
The men’s 470 was also postponed and will take place at 2.05pm on Friday. The British pair Luke Patience and Chris Grube go into their final in fifth place but are out of medal contention. The Croatians, Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic, are in first place but are not assured of gold. Mills and Clark are chomping at the bit to be given their gold medals. It will be particularly satisfying to beat New Zealand’s Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, who pushed them into silver position in London for years ago.
The Kiwis were in second place heading into the final but with such a slim lead over the United States, French and Japanese sailors that the other medals were very much to play for.
The Olympic sailing takes place in Guanabara Bay, against the spectacular backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain. Unfortunately for the sailors, the blue waters are heavily polluted with sewage , rubbish and oil spills.
All were advised to keep their mouths shut if they capsized after a 16-month study commissioned by the Associated Press found the water was contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria.
Happily Clark and Mills avoided Rio belly to reach the aborted final on Wednesday in full health. Clinching victory will be an emotional ending for the pair, who do not plan to race together again, with 36-year-old Clark hanging up her boat shoes after 28 years on the water.
