Aus Sailors poised for Podium at 470 Europeans
Australia's Men's 470 and Women's 470 sailing teams are poised to take podium positions at the 470 European Championships in Lake Garda, Italy with the final medal races due to be held tonight, Australian time. The European Championships are considered to be a major indicator of Australia's form leading into the Olympic Games.
The youngest crew in the Australian Sailing Team, Perth's Elise Rechichi (22) and Tessa Parkinson (21) are leading the women's field of 33 competitors with 74 points. They hold a five point lead over Austria's Sylvia Vogl and Carolina Flatscher in second (79 points), while Switzerland's Emanuelle Rol and Anne-Sophie Thilo sit in third place (81 points).
Rechichi and Parkinson won Gold at the Olympic Sailing Test Event in Qingdao last August and placed third at the 470 World Championships earlier this year.
In the Men's 470, Sydney's Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page are in third position overall with 66 points going into tonight's medal race. There are only two points separating the Australians and Israel's Gideon Kliger and Udi Gal in first and Great Britain's Nic Asher and Elliot Willis in second who are tied on 64 points.
Wilmot and Page are ranked Number One in their class by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), are three time World Champions and also won Gold at the Olympic Sailing Test Event in 2007. The pair also won the 2008 Australian 470 Championships, the 2008 Sydney International Regatta, finished eighth at the 2008 470 World Championships and most recently won the 470 category at the Delta-Lloyd Regatta in Holland.
It's been a mixed bag of conditions on Lake Garda over the past week with torrential rain delaying the start of the event and postponements due to lack of wind, a heavy haze over the lake and wind shifts of up to 20 degrees on course. When the sun has shone and the wind has blown, it has moved between 5 and 20 knots of breeze, with changing direction and sometimes choppy conditions.
'Garda has not been living up to its stable fresh wind reputation and racing has been very difficult,' said Malcolm Page earlier in the series.
Australian Sailing Team Director Michael Jones said Wilmot and Page perform well under pressure and have always improved their position in medal races.
'I'm confident both our teams can medal in this event,' said Jones.
The 470 European Championship medal races are held tonight (Australian time).
by Nicole Browne 
