Sailing World Championships: Kördel wins silver and secures Olympic ticket
Sebastian Kördel was the best member of the national sailing team at the Allianz Sailing World Championships in The Hague and won the only precious metal. He celebrated in the world championship harbour arena in Scheveningen. "I'm happy and delighted that I was able to win a medal for Germany," said Kördel on the sunny North Sea beach.
The wrong set-up slowed Kördel down in the battle for gold
On Saturday, the 32-year-old from Radolfzell initially qualified for the final with second place in the semi-final, although he had to brake shortly before the start of the race to avoid a false start. The subsequent race to catch up succeeded efficiently with second place, securing his place in the final.
In the subsequent three-way medal fight with the Dutchman Luuc van Opzeeland and the Italian Nicolo Renna, who dominated that day, Kördel "had the wrong set-up". He later said: "When we realised that the wind had dropped significantly, it was already too late. Orange was already going up. Kördel explained that it usually takes four or five minutes to change the angle of the rear wing. He no longer had that time. The consequences were even clearly visible on the screens on land. Kördel was too slow at the start. It almost looked as if he had fallen into a wind hole. And that's how it felt for him.
The fourth runner-up this year
The fast Dutchman pulled away immediately. And Sebastian Kördel initially even had to line up behind Nicolo Renna. However, when the Italian got caught in a turning mark in the final after approaching it too forcefully and got stuck there like a butterfly desperately flapping its wings, Kördel was able to overtake him and take second place behind the new world champion Luuc van Opzeeland.
"It's my fourth second place in a major regatta this year. But each time, someone else has finished ahead of me. So my consistency is good," said Kördel, who competes for the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein. He looks back positively on the World Championship week: "I went into the semi-final with a blue bip and came out of the final with a blue one. That's all right. A few things went wrong on the water that shouldn't have gone wrong if you want to get to the top. I accept that and will work on it."
Kördel starts confidently into the last year until the Olympic Games
Second place for Kördel also means a secure Olympic starting place for Germany in the men's iQFoil. Who will then redeem their ticket in 2024 and travel to Marseille will be decided in three major regattas next spring. Of course, Kördel is also the top favourite.
When asked about his prospects for the 2024 Olympic Games, where the iQFoil windsurfers will make their debut in the bay of Marseille, Kördel said: "I think I'll be one of the top contenders for a gold medal in Marseille, even though a lot can always happen with us, of course." The format with short quarter, semi-final and final heats is merciless. Early starters are out straight away and mistakes can usually not be rectified.
The other two German men in the iQFoil field, Fabian Wolf and Jonne Heimann, were not active in the medal race today and therefore finished the World Championships in 38th and 65th place.
Israel's Shahar Tibi won the women's World Championship title ahead of her compatriot Katy Spychakov. Emma Wilson from Great Britain, who had been in the lead all week, only managed third place in the grand final. Theresa Steinlein, who showed a very strong regatta with eleventh place and raised hopes of an Olympic ticket for the women as well, finished the World Championships in 27th place. She had been pushed back in the Golf Fleet races on Thursday. Nothing changed for the other German iQFoilers either: Alisa Engelmann and Lena Erdil are close together in 45th and 47th place, Helena Wanser is 70th.
Also interesting:
- Sailing World Championship: Kördel climbs to second place, Steinlein crashes
- Sailing World Championship: Kördel and Steinlein secure further victories - Olympic tickets within reach
- World Sailing Championship: Kördel goes for a swim - and leads
- Sailing World Championship: Kördel slips down, Steinlein in 11th place
- Quick check of the Olympiaboard iQFoil
- Sebastian Kördel - "First place is the best position for the future"