Emma Wilson won first sailing medal for Team GB, taking Bronze in the windsurf iQFOil event.
Wilson won through direct to the final as opening series leader, and then waited to see who she would face in the three board final. This was decided by the rest of the top ten competing in quarter and semi-final races, resulting in Marta Maggetti ITA and Sharon Kantor ISR joining her.
Wilson had a good start to lead at the first mark from Kantor and Maggetti, and was first to gybe away. At the second mark she maintained her lead, and Maggetti was the first to tack away.
Kantor followed while Wilson delayed her tack, a delay that was to cost her dearly.
As they approached mark 3 Maggetti’s early tack had propelled her into the lead with Kantor second and Wilson trailing by 22 sec in third.
From there Maggetti controlled the race to the final gate to gybe for the finish line and Olympic Gold, with Kantor taking Silver and a distraught Wilson the Bronze.
Maggetti said: “I’m so happy. I wasn’t stressed today. After I finished the Semi-Final I cried a bit, but then I focused and told myself I wanted the gold.”
Wilson said: “I was ahead, made a mistake on the layline. I hadn’t done a race yet and the other girls had done a race, so they knew where the layline was. I’ll be proud when I get on the podium. The girls I race against are amazing. I have been racing Marta since I was eight, she’s an amazing person so I’m really happy for her.”
Men’s windsurf iQFOil
In the men’s windsurf iQFOil final, Tom Reuveny, who had not won a race in the Opening Series, saved his best for last by crossing the line ahead of the pack.
The Netherland’s Luuc Van Opzeeland won the Semi-Final, with Reuveny a close second to qualify for the Final, where the duo joined Australia’s Grae Morris in the winner takes all race.
Here Reuveny eventually took control, soaring past the others to pick up the gold medal.
Grae Morris took the Silver and Van Opzeeland the Bronze.
Britain’s Sam Sills finished the event in fifth after a storming perfomance in the quarter-final took him into the semi-final.
Women’s Windsurfer iQFOil after Medal Series
GOLD ITA Marta Maggetti
SILVER ISR Sharon Kantor
BRONZE GBR Emma Wilson
4th PER Maria Belen Bazo German
5th CHN Zheng Yan
6th GER Theresa Marie Steinlein
7th FRA Helene Noesmoen
8th POL Maja Dziarnowska
9th CZE Katerina Svikova
10th NZL Veerle Ten Have
Men’s Windsurfer iQFOil after Medal Series
GOLD ISR Tom Reuveny
SILVER AUS Grae Morris
BRONZE NED Luuc van Opzeeland
4th NZL Josh Armit
5th GBR Sam Sills
6th ITA Nicolo Renna
7th SUI Elia Colombo
8th ARU Ethan Westera
9th USA Noah Lyons
10th POL Pawel Tarnowski
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