Things simply did not quite click for the New Zealand windsurfers on the final day of their competition off Marseille.
Josh Armit, who sailed so consistently to finish third in the long qualifying series, could only finish third in the semifinal race on Saturday at the Paris Olympics, narrowly missing the final race and a medal, finishing fourth overall.
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The 22-year-old Armit was fourth for much of the semifinal, climbing into third just before the halfway point, but was unable to make further progress.
“I didn’t make the best start and it’s hard to come back from that,” he said. “It’s tough to take, after all that’s gone on this week.”
The New Zealander, who finished seventh in last year’s world championships, enhanced his reputation with his consistency over the long and challenging event.
Veerle ten Have, the New Zealand women’s windsurfer, squeaked into the quarterfinal race after finishing ninth in the qualifying series.
She was always struggling in the quarterfinal. Needing a win to advance to the semifinal, ten Have, 23, was fourth after two marks, but then slipped to the tail of the field and was unable to pick up any placings over the final stretch. She finished 10th overall.
Ten Have felt she made a wrong judgement call early in the quarterfinal race, which resulted in her having to fight her way back through the entire race and left her on the back foot.
In the men’s dinghy races on Saturday, Tom Saunders had placings of 19th and third to leave himself in fifth place overall with 48 points. The leader is Australian Matt Wearn on 40 on a tight leaderboard.
Greta Pilkington continued to battle in the women’s dinghy, but improved marginally with placings today of 15th, 33rd and 18th. She has 121 points, which leaves her 30th.
In the mixed multihull (Nacra), New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson placed fifth, third and seventh to be fourth in this early stage of the regatta.
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