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26 Sep 2009

World Rankings - Released 23 September 2009

Image: Sven Coster and Kalle Coster (NED) © Thom Touw

Italy Retain Hold on Women’s Rankings – The Netherlands Take Lead in 470 Men

The eighth release of the ISAF Sailing World Ranking Release of 2009 was published on 23 September, including the results of the 470 World Championships held in Rungsted, Denmark and the final event of the 2008-2009 ISAF Sailing World Cup, Skandia Sail For Gold.

Women
Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol (ITA) continue to lead the Rankings, a position they claimed on 29 July 2009, cementing their appearance in the top 4 in the world for more than two years. Securing a fourth at the 2009 470 Worlds and eleventh at Skandia Sail For Gold, consistency has kept them at the front.

Remaining in second are Japan’s Ai Kondo and Wakako Tabata, who have held firm in the top 3 since 6 February 2008, taking an 8 and 4 at the Worlds and Sail For Gold respectively.

Moving up to third in the Rankings, from fourth, are Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux (FRA) after a bronze medal at the 470 Worlds and a seventh in Weymouth.

For three crews this ranking release marks career bests, as they make their first appearance in the world’s top 10.

The dynamic team of Tara Pacheco and Berta Betanzos (ESP) outperformed the fleet to take victory and gold medals back to Spain at both the 470 Junior Worlds and the 470 Junior Europeans. But with neither event carrying Rankings points, it is their performance at the senior level which has shot them up to a career best of fourth on the ISAF Sailing World Rankings. A silver medal at the 2009 470 Worlds and an eighth place at Sail For Gold secured them sufficient points to leap ahead of their rivals. 2009 has certainly been their year of delivery.

Margriet FOKKEMA and Marieke JONGENS (NED) also make their first appearance in the world’s top 10, climbing up to eighth. Rounding out the top 10, at number 10, another career best for Annina Wagner and Marlene Steinherr (GER).

We must also make mention of Fernanda Sesto, 470 Management Committee member, who with team mate Consuelo Monsegur (ARG), placed 11 at the Worlds and 6 at Sail For Gold to push them up to ninth in the rankings - and deliver their best position on the World Rankings for almost four years.

The winners of the 2009 Worlds and Sail For Gold, Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout find themselves propelled to up to 39 in the Worlds Rankings, from 69, but with only 3 events so far counting to their Rankings, and with crews allowed to count up to 7 events, they have lots of opportunity to improve their placing – and no doubt will!

Seven new crews are welcomed onto the 470 Women World Rankings this month, with sailors from Australia, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands and Ukraine collecting ranking points, to join the total number of 134 crews from 32 nations on the 470 Women’s Rankings.

With increasing nations competing across the women’s fleets at the 470 World and European Championships (junior and senior), we can look forward to many news faces in 2010.

Men
Glory at the top of the ISAF Sailing World Rankings goes to Dutch brothers Sven Coster and Kalle Coster, who reclaim the pole position, which they had lost to Nicolas Charbonnier and Baptiste Meyer (FRA) at the Rankings release of 29 July 2009. A fourth at the 470 Worlds and fifth at Sail For Gold gave them sufficient points to leapfrog their rivals.


Image: Sven Coster and Kalle Coster (NED) © Thom Touw

Close behind, and improving to second from fourth on the Rankings, are Sime Fantela and Igor Marencic (CRO). Another successful season for them peaked at the 470 Worlds with gold medal victory, and now a career best on the ISAF World Rankings.

One of the greatest leaps up the Rankings comes from the new pairing of Matthew Belcher and multi-Olympian Malcolm Page (AUS) who have swept into the top 10 at 9, up from a previous ranking of 43. Solid results across the 470 Worlds and Europeans, together with the ISAF Sailing World Cup events, have seen this pair become the top placed Australian crew – hardly surprising given their pedigree.

Whilst the Costers knocked Nicolas Charbonnier and Baptiste Meyer (FRA) off the number one position, another French pairing of Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion are snapping at their countrymen’s heels. With victories at both the 470 Junior Worlds and 470 Junior Europeans, Bouvet and Mion clearly meant business in 2009; although neither of these Championships helped them up the Rankings, as they are not graded. Their success at the Junior events held up in the senior fleet, with a placing of 22 at the 2009 470 Worlds and 15 at Sail For Gold to move up the Rankings to 20 from 27, a justly deserved career best.

Another pairing of Luke Patience with new crew Stuart Bithell (GBR), made a somewhat sudden appearance towards the front of the fleets at both the Worlds and Sail For Gold after little training as a new combination. Their teamwork was rewarded with not only silver medals at each of these events, but also a climb of 10 places to sit at number 16 on the World Rankings, which for Patience matches his previous career best of 16 back in July 2008.

The 15 different nations claiming places in the top 20 of the World Rankings demonstrates the global spread of the class, with a range of countries securing Championship success this year.

10 crews from 8 nations make their first appearance on the World Rankings as of this release. The 470 Men Rankings host 251 ranked crews from 41 nations.

More Information
470 Women Rankings
470 Men Rankings