1 June 2009
Paul Goodison, the Be Number 1 sailor and Laser gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, cruised to victory yesterday in the Laser class on the final day of competition in the fifth round of the ISAF World Cup series, which took place in Medemblik, Holland.
It was Goodison's second successive World Cup series victory in only his second event back since claiming glorious gold at the Beijing Games, though he lies in only eighth place on the overall World Cup rankings, having missed the first three rounds of competition. Britain's Nick Thompson, who finished sixth in Holland, leads the field with 80 points, sixth ahead of Croatia's Tonci Stipanovic.
Indeed, Stipanovic was the only rival who could have snatched victory from Goodison in the medal race. But he was closely covered all the way by the tactically astute Yorkshireman, who finished the all-important finale in ninth spot, one ahead of the Croatian.
"It's fantastic to come here and win in Holland," said Goodison, whose victory helped to alleviate the disappointment of his beloved Sheffield United losing to Burnley in the Championship play-off final at Wembley last week.
"This is the one that's eluded me - I think I've won everything else apart from the Worlds and Holland Regatta. I've won gold here today, so that just leaves one for later in the year!
"It's a good feeling that I am sailing well, following the break I took after the Olympics. The real focus now is going to be on to the Worlds and working on a few key things before we have the Worlds in Canada in August."
Meanwhile, world champions and Be Number 1 athletes Nic Asher and Elliot Willis narrowly missed out on a medal opportunity at the regatta. The pair entered the medal race for the 470 men's event in fourth place on equal points with the third placed French crew. But after an indifferent start, the British duo were unable to squeeze their way into the medal positions during the three-lap final and had to settle for fourth place overall.
"We're disappointed not to have got a medal," said Asher. "But considering that we have not really been sailing all that well this week, we haven't done too badly. We're pretty fast, but just not that race sharp at the moment and that's where the mistakes came this week, I think."
In the men's RS:X windsurfing event, Be Number 1's Nick Dempsey, whose build-up to the regatta had been badly hampered by illness, could finish only eighth, having finished in the bronze medal position in each of the two previous World Cup events. Still, he lies in a respectable sixth place in the overall standings, 13 points behind the leader, Portugal's Joao Rodrigues. Next up for Dempsey is to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats as part of Be Number 1's LEJOG project.
